The Trouble with Being a Wolf
by SnowieBearSnarl
Summary: For as long as she can remember Ruby Rose has always had a strange quirk; Every night on a full moon she would turn into a wolf. Things were easier back in Patch despite how scary it was for her family at first. She would roam the forests at night and come back naked and dirty but otherwise fine. However, things got far more complicated when she became a student at Beacon.
1. Full Moon

_It's warm…_

Hazy thoughts echoed through the darkness in her mind. At first, all she could feel were sensations, the warmth that surrounded her, the soft earth beneath her feet and the gentle, cool breeze that flowed around her. She could feel leaves crunching beneath her and soon, her other senses came to her.

The air was crisp and smelled like so potently like autumn. Dirt and wind and trees carried such immensely distinct scents that normal people couldn't detect, it would have been overwhelming if it didn't fill her chest with excitement, an unbridled feeling of freedom that overcame her. She embraced it like always, that feeling, her amped up senses, the strength she felt in her powerful muscles and the blissful warmth that enveloped her.

Then, her vision pierced the darkness in her mind. She knew she could see before she realized it, but it always started out with her being on a sort of autopilot, like she knew what surrounded her, almost like being told what was around her second hand until her mind adjusted to her new eyes. She could see wispy clouds materialize in front of her eyes as her lungs expelled warm, moist air into the chilly atmosphere around her.

She was always enthralled by the difference in her vision. The night looked so vibrant and alive, details were rich and stunning, her brain combining the input from her vision, hearing and smell to give her a perfect picture of the forest that she walked in.

She took in a long, deep breath through her nose, imbibing the scents around her exchanging them with a satisfied and happy sigh, creating more clouds of breath in front of her snout. She felt like she was smiling even though she figured it looked very different from her normal grin, maybe unrecognizably so. She could feel a swaying behind her back, an excited back and forth lashing that swept through the air.

She lifted her head up to the sky taking in another long, deep breath as she did and suddenly her vision was bathed in a brilliant cool light. The full moon shined off of her stunning silver eyes like mirrors, the mist of tiny water droplets in her breath caught the moon's glow setting her breath ablaze like freezing white fire.

She felt an innate connection to the land, something primal and ancient calling to every fiber of her being from the trees, the sky and the soil. She could feel her mighty heart beating away in her chest and she never, never felt more alive than she did on the nights of a full moon.

 _Nights like this make me wonder… if I have to go back._

"Hey, you okay Ruby?" A warm but playful voice spoke up from beside her. Ruby's ears twitched atop her head as she was taken from her thoughts as she brought the human into view.

"You can go play, I'll wait here for you but don't wander off too far, I really don't want to have to come looking for you again." With a huff of laughter a tall blonde looked down at Ruby, smiling warmly at her but Ruby could smell her exhaustion and sleepiness as well as hearing it dropping from her tired voice. In Yang's arms the older sister held Ruby's clothes to her chest while her boots dangled from her fingers in one hand.

A low whine rumbled from Ruby's throat as she turned to her sister, pressing her cold, wet nose against Yang's firm, muscular arm. Ruby felt her heart brimming with warmth and love as she took in the scent of her sister, something so familiar and comforting, a scent that had been with her through her entire life and it was so much more potent and affirming during a full moon. Her snout nuzzled against Yang's bicep, rubbing off her scent onto her sister out of a compulsion born from instinct.

 _I always miss this when the night is over… I feel so distant from everything, from my sister. Sometimes I wish this would never end._

"Heh, I love you too Sis. Don't worry about me, just enjoy yourself, I brought my Scroll to keep me busy and it's not that cold." Yang shifted the burden of Ruby's clothes to one arm, nearly dropping her cape and skirt in the process, only barely catching them before they would have fallen into the dirt. With a sigh of relief Yang reached out her hand and in turn Ruby lifted her nose until she felt the tender warmth of her sister's skin. Her tail wagged harder and her mouth hung open, letting her long tongue flap out between rows of deadly teeth as Yang fingers stroked and scratched along Ruby's face and neck, her sister' nails barely reaching her skin through her thick coat of fur. She was so taken in by the blissful feeling that she didn't notice her hind leg begin to kick involuntarily.

"Wow! You're really enjoying that aren't ya!?" Yang was barely holding back a fit of laughter as she scratched harder just under her sister's jaw.

 _Mmmm… it's not my fault it feels so good, you always know my weak points!_

 **Snap**!

Ruby's ears twitched and her muscles tensed at a new sound the echoed through the forest. It was close, something small scurrying in the darkness, its heart pounding and its breathing rapid.

"Uh-oh…" Yang let her hand fall to her side, smiling while she shook her head as Ruby pulled away.

Her senses were beyond acute, they were sharper than her Crescent Rose and every nerve in her body tingled with thrill, anticipation and exhilaration. The wind shifted favorable as she encroached step by silent step. She could smell its fear, the small animal's scent carried towards her by the wind, her sensitive and wet nose homing in on its position in a matter of seconds. Her breaths were silent and subdued and even her pulse quieted as she lowered her head and tenses her legs. Her mouth was watering and the thrill was too much to bear.

The instant she saw the pair of small eyes shining in the dark look up at her…

She pounced!

* * *

"Hmmm…." An exhausted and hazy groan rumbled through the room as bleary silver eyes blinked open. She was in her room… in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. As usual her body felt light and weak and mind was a little foggy.

"Finally awake I see." Yang stood beside Ruby in her pajamas looking down at sister with a familiar grin.

"Ugh… what was it this time?" Her arms shook as she forced her blankets down, relieved to find herself wearing her pajamas instead of being naked.

"A raccoon I think, was kinda hard to tell by the time I got over there." Ruby always played with her food when she turned but she would always ask what she killed when she woke back up so Yang had gotten pretty good at identifying animals in the dark.

"Blood doesn't taste so good when I'm human… oh well, at least I can skip breakfast." The acrid, metallic taste clung to her tongue and teeth but she remembered it feeling and tasting unbelievably good after she got through its fur.

"That's the spirit. Gotta look on the bright side, at least you're not hungry." Yang had her optimism turned up to eleven as she bent down, carefully working one arm under her sister's shoulders before pulling her up to a sitting position knowing that it took a few minutes for her to readjust to her human body after waking up.

"Speaking of breakfast, where's Weiss and Blake?" She was barely able to turn her head on her own to look out the window but the late morning light streaming in told her she had been out for a while.

"As usual you turned back to human at sunrise and by then the rest of our team was already having breakfast. If you want you can leave now and probably make it before first period ends or you can sleep the rest of the day and come to night classes with me." Yang looked beyond exhausted, she always took day classes before a full moon so she could spend the night with Ruby making she she doesn't wander too far off or come back to school naked.

"I'm the leader, I shouldn't let my sleep schedule get so different from my team's. I'll struggle through it with caffeine like I always do." With a sigh Ruby began extending and contracting her fingers, trying to get herself reaccustomed to her human body. _As much as I'd love to go to night classes because it would be convenient my team comes first._

"You sure you ate enough last night though? It was pretty early in the night, Oobleck probably wouldn't mind if you did have breakfast first, at least it'll get the taste of raccoon out of your mouth." With a chuckle Yang reached out her hand for her leader.

"That might not be the worst idea but I'll just rinse my mouth out and get to class. I don't want Weiss to scold me again…" She knew it was pointless though. _Weiss always gets mad at me for missing class after a full moon. Still, it's easier than explaining that I turn into a wolf every full moon for whatever reason. At least Yang, Ozpin, Uncle Qrow and the other teachers are helping me keep it a secret._

"Well in that case there's a cup of coffee with your name on it waiting on the dresser, three creams and five sugars. I'm gonna hit the sack, I'm beat, you gave me a pretty good workout last night." With a long and tired yawn Yang stretched her arms up to the ceiling, twisting her body before letting them fall limply back to her side as she turned towards her bed.

"Thanks Sis…" Her legs felt like all of her muscle had been replaced with helium, it was a weird sensation and she was never fond of it. Even so she struggled to swing her feet over the edge of her bed while Yang collapsed into her bed, passing out instantly as usual, breaking into a soft snore within minutes.

 _Thanks for always looking out for me._ Ruby stare at her sleeping sister's back, her silver eyes dulled with guilt and gratitude. _That's the trouble with being a wolf… it effects the people around you whether they know one is among them or not._

With a weak shake of her head Ruby forced herself up, supporting herself against the bed as she struggled with walking on two legs again. Somehow four legs just seemed more natural to her. She tried to keep the noise to a minimum as she made her way past Yang's bed to the bathroom, nearly falling against the sink as she dipped her head under the faucet, turning on the water with her mouth wide open beneath it, resisting the urge the entire time to lap at the rushing stream like a dog.

 _On the other hand, at least wolves don't usually have to get up early for class…_ Swishing the water around in her mouth she couldn't help but find it funny that she had cheeks as a human but as a wolf she would have to use her tongue. She could feel the water taking away the blood of the animal she had killed and eaten the night before, spitting it out and letting it wash down the drain, giving her a reprieve from the strong and unpleasant flavor.

Slowly she was acclimatizing to her human body, able to stagger out of the bathroom with minimal support from the walls as she made her way to her coffee. Ruby never understood why being human felt so foreign to her after being a wolf for just a night when it was her normal appearance to the point of no one but her family and teachers knowing there was anything abnormal about her at all. Still, she was used to it… _After all, I've been this way for as long as I can remember, as long as Yang remembers too. Dad said after I was born I would turn into a puppy on a full moon, it must have scared him and mom a lot at first. Still, growing up in Patch in the middle of nowhere made things a lot easier. I debated even coming to Beacon knowing that it's not really a good place for a wolf. So far so good though for the most part. Two years in and the only one on my team who knows is Yang. It hasn't been easy but I'm really thankful to Ozpin for making accommodations for us. Thanks to him, I can be a wolf and a Huntress._

Ruby slipped on her uniform that Yang had left out for her, pulling up her skirt and fixing her hair before gulping down the warm coffee as quickly as she could. She hated being late but it was just another thing she had to deal with as a wolf. All she could do was try to make the best of it.

She reached one hand out to the doorknob before freezing inches away from it. Her eyes darted to her bare wrist before she pulled back from the door and opened the top drawer on the dresser, pulling out a small digital watch. _Extreme stress, physical or emotional, excitement and the full moon… all of them turn me back into wolf._

Ruby fastened the watch that doubled as a heart monitor to her wrist. It wasn't easy always keeping herself perpetually under control and in check, it was part of the reason why being a wolf felt so freeing. With a few deep breaths she looked down at the pulse display on the watch, seeing it slow with her breathing and concentration. _All good. Guess it's time to go._

Sparing one last lingering glance at her sleeping sister Ruby again reached for the doorknob, a small smile pulling at her lips. _See you later._

Feeling back to her normal human strength Ruby summoned up her optimism and determination, opening the door, ready to take on the day with the confidence she had as a wolf… before closing the door behind her.


	2. Waning

"And that is why Lunar Perigee is not only a breathtaking natural phenomenon but also of great traditional importance to many cultures throughout history!" Oobleck finally stopped and took a breath, sipping on his coffee while his eyes were draw behind his glasses to the student that had arrived only five minutes earlier. He didn't say anything about it, he never did.

"So, in summation, the Lunar Perigee taking place in three weeks time will be the brightest full moon in over one hundred years. I expect you all to take time to appreciate the moon as cultures throughout history have." Once more his eyes fell to Ruby and hers looked to him, he could see the unease in her expression and in those shining silver eyes. They both knew what the other was thinking… and it was troublesome to say the least.

 **Ding** _!_

Oobleck looked up to the clock as the sound rang in his ears. Once again he had lost track of time, the disheartened wolf's arrival didn't help clear his mind either. With a soft shake of his head he took another sip of coffee from his thermos, his gaze sweeping across the room, seeing the students he had been teaching for the last two years waiting impatiently to be dismissed.

"Well it seems we're out of time for today. You're dismissed but do have your reports on the importance of the moon on ancient and contemporary cultures turned in promptly before the Lunar Perigee, once again that's three weeks time." Before he could even finish half the students were already rushing out of his class, talking and laughing amongst themselves… all but team RWBY who he watched quietly as Weiss Schnee stomped over to her leader who had sat deliberately away from the rest of her team.

"Ruby…" Weiss' voice was a none too subtle growl as she came to a stop, looming over her leader with freezing blue eyes and an indignant scowl. Her arms were folded over her chest and Ruby could smell her anger and desire for confrontation but still the leader's expression was mute and unreadable even as their cat Faunus teammate Blake came from behind her, watching but not intervening.

"Weiss." Cold and detached, that's how she had to be towards confrontation or risk exposing her secret. Still, she didn't need her day-after-a-full-moon heightened senses to tell that her demeanor was only making her partner more infuriated.

"You were late. Again." Her bitter huff was like an icy chill that permeated the air but still Ruby was unfazed.

"I know. I'm sorry Weiss but something-"

"But something came up, yes yes, the excuse I've been hearing for years every time you're late." The heiress' glare was intense and challenging and the fact that her leader seemed entirely indifferent burned her up. "You know I expect our leader, my leader, to take her responsibilities seriously. I can't stand being subordinate to a slacker like you."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to do better." Ruby lowered her head as she spoke, her eyes drifting over to her watch, giving her a visual indicator that Weiss was getting to her as her heart rate increased and tension squeezed on her chest. _This isn't good, I need to end this now. I'm always more prone to changing back into a wolf right after a full moon._

"That's meaningless coming from you." Weiss spat bitterly, taking a step closer until she was only inches away from her still seated partner. "You're holding back our team. I didn't come to Beacon to be lead by the likes of you."

"You don't have a choice…" Ruby mumbled, finally looking up from her watch, letting just the slightest fraction of her frustration out as her hard silver eyes glared back up at Weiss before she stood up, making her partner back away. Were she a wolf, she couldn't help but think that she wouldn't let so much hostility go so easily, or that Weiss would be so bold as to challenge her.

"Get to your next class, I have to see Dr. Oobleck about what I missed since I was late." Without another word and without giving her partner another chance to argue Ruby turned around and walked away, the tension in her heart easing and her pulse slowing. Behind her she heard Weiss give a long, angry sigh before stomping off with Blake close behind. _I'm jealous of you Weiss. I wish I could express myself that much…_

"Ms. Rose, is everything alright between you and Ms. Schnee?" Oobleck watched as the heiress stormed out, a long lock of white hair following her as she walked out of the room, leaving his class empty except for himself and the dejected wolf.

"She hates me, nothing new." Ruby shrugged as she propped herself up against her teacher's desk standing less than a meter away from him but her eyes seemed to be looking at something far in the distance. _It's not just stress, it's anxiety, depression, anger, excitement. Too much of any of these could turn me back into a wolf. I can't let what Weiss said keep getting to me but I hate being such a disappointment!_

"I'd imagine it's very difficult, leading a double life. I bet you sometimes wish you could tell your team." He knew that it likely wasn't an option for several reasons but he still wished he could help somehow.

"Not really." With sigh Ruby looked down at her watch, seeing her heart rate steadily fall. It wasn't a perfect indicator of if she would turn but it was better than nothing. "Weiss is only just starting to be okay with Faunus months after Blake told us that she is one. Besides, how can you trust someone to lead you if they turn into an animal every time they get worked up? No, I have to keep this a secret, Ozpin even said that it might be dangerous if people knew."

"Ms. Rose, I think it's very admirable that you put yourself through this for your team but I worry that repressing your wolf side save for full moons may be detrimental to you." Oobleck extended his thermos to her, seeing how tired and worn out she looked. With a small but deeply grateful smile Ruby nodded softly before accepting, drinking down more warm caffeine, the taste alone enough to heighten her alertness.

"In truth, we really don't know anything about why you are the way you are. According to Taiyang, this has been part of who you are since you were born. All we truly know is that emotions, physical stress such and pain or illness and the full moon set it off. Further, you seem to have an immense boost to your aura as a wolf from the way you instantly recover from sickness or injury when you turn, perhaps that's why things such as physical stress trigger your transformation, your body's way of rebooting from damage." It was largely conjecture and hypotheses beyond that. "We know that when we take a sample of your DNA you are definitely human, however, if we take a sample when you're wolf your results indicate that you are entirely wolf. In all honesty it's simply remarkable."

"It's stressful, always having to worry about stress and excitement and… the moon." She took one more small sip from the thermos, holding it in her hands, letting her skin bathe in the warmth as she looked up to her teacher with worried eyes.

"Yes, understandable. I presume we both came to a similar conclusion about the coming Perigee?" He watched her gaze fall down into the cup of warm dark brown, swirling it around tepidly before handing it back to him.

"It might effect me somehow. I just have a feeling that it will… maybe it's instincts." She felt the gnawing feeling in her stomach. It wasn't bad but she knew it was her, the wolf that she was scratching to get out, her stress beckoning it forth. _I wish I could be a wolf right now. I wish I could just run around in the forest playing and hunting and put all of this behind me for a while… but I can't._

"Professor Ozpin, your uncle, Port, Glynda, your dad and myself have all had a meeting about this very issue. Unfortunately someone like you is completely unrepresented in historical record and even mythology. Humans that can turn into animals are not unheard of, as you know, your uncle Qrow is one of them, but that is by a very different process and it's not as potent a transformation as yours. I'm afraid we don't know how to proceed." He took his thermos back as Ruby leaned up against his desk, arms wrapped around herself in a comforting self hug.

"What are the options?" Ruby was used to this, when she first came to Beacon with Ozpin's permission there were a lot of meetings about how to deal with the wolf student. She sometimes attended them but usually they kept her informed second hand, she was okay with that, more or less, she understood that they probably didn't want her turning into a wolf in the meeting room if their decision upset her.

"A temporary suspension was proposed by your uncle, at least for a week after the Perigee. Glynda suggested that you move to night classes permanently with your sister where it's easier for us to keep an eye on you and where you will have someone you can be comfortable around to making a transformation less problematic. Professor Port and your father agreed with your uncle while Ozpin and I sided with Glynda." He knew Ruby wouldn't like either option but he also knew he and his unique student had become close since her enrollment, aside from her family he was probably the closest thing Ruby had to a friend.

"You really think night classes would be best?" She looked to him, the deep sadness and resignation in her voice made his heart ache for her, knowing he could never truly understand what she was going through. _Come to think of it… there's no one in the world she can relate to. That must be terribly isolating._

"I do. I hope you'll accept, it would be a shame to have you miss so much class over your suspension and fall behind. Perhaps your grades will improve too without the added stress of fearing you'll turn into a wolf in front of all your peers." He had tried to persuade her to join night classes many time before but he hoped this ultimatum would compel her to take the offer.

"Weiss already hates me. Blake probably does too. I can't give them more reason to think I don't care about my team. Ozpin made me leader for whatever reason, I need to always do my best to live up to that." She was being stubborn, she knew she was. Still, she wanted to smile. There were extremely few people who knew Ruby as anything other than quiet and indifferent. Expressing herself through stubbornness felt good and she was comfortable enough around Oobleck that she wasn't afraid of turning and even if she did, she trusted him enough to not be afraid of him seeing her like that, not that it would be the first time.

"Sometimes being a good leader means taking care of yourself first. You can't protect your team if you're suspended." He knew she would come around, he didn't want to be too forceful, Ruby was playing, she had likely already made up her mind one way or the other. _But I don't mind indulging her one bit._

"I'll think about it. Can I let you know later today after classes?" She smirked, letting herself show what she was feeling in a very rare moment of genuineness. They both knew that she was playing and it made her happy that he was going along with it.

"Of course, I'll be waiting for your answer by the end of the day and I'll pass your decision off to Professor Ozpin." He smiled back at her, glad to see the young wolf's demeanor improve so much from when she entered his class.

"Thank you Dr. Oobleck… for everything." She felt warm and happy, but even so she was reflexively looking down at her watch, making her her happiness didn't turn her back into a wolf.

"You're very welcome Ms. Rose. Now, let me get all the work you missed, it was quite a thrilling class!" His energy and enthusiasm returned as he walked around his desk, rummaging through his drawers as he continued. "Did you know that some ancient cultures associated the moon with purity and in centuries old alchemy tomes the moon had a close connection with silver?"

"That sounds… cool… I guess?" Still she couldn't help but giggle a little at his passion for his work.

"Well, you'll know all about it by tonight!" With an excited grin he dropped down an intimidating stack of papers in front of her that made Ruby's eyes grow wide.

"Heh-heh… that's the trouble with being a human… homework." It was daunting but she wouldn't let him down after he had been such a good friend and advocate for her among the faculty.

"Yes, I'm sure being a wolf is far more enjoyable for you. Your sister always tells me how much happier you seem during a full moon. I'd imagine that you would rather be a wolf than a human if you had to choose." Now he was letting his curiosity get the better of him but it was a question that had been on his mind for quite a while. She always spoke so fondly of her time as a wolf and the few times he had seen as a wolf her she seemed vastly happier and much more lively.

"I don't know…" Those words left her lips as little more than whispers as she looked down at the floor with the most wistful look in her eyes, flashbacks of the previous night bringing a bright smile to her face. _But I think… you might be right_.

 **Beep- beep- beep!**

Ruby's heart skipped a beat as her head shot up along with her wrist, her eyes growing even wider as she stared at the heart monitor. In her blissful memories of her time as a wolf the previous night and the excitement of her hunt had leached into her heart. Ruby's breaths became slow and steady as she tried to reign in her fear and thrill. She could feel it calling to her, begging her to be free, to make her free.

"Ruby! Ruby are you going to turn? Hold on, let me lock the door and call your uncle and-"

"No." Ruby's voice stopped him, not her words but her voice, the tone that hit the air like liquid helium, light but unimaginably cold. Her eyes too were chilled to a dull cool while she froze away her feelings under layers of ice and steel. As bad as it made him feel watching her do that to herself, it made Ruby feel a hundred times worse. The wolf, who she really was, everything true about her was being caged, all so she could follow her dream.

 _I'm not losing control… I won't lose control._

* * *

"Ruby Rose, why don't you participate in this next sparring match?" Glynda Goodwitch looked up to the bleachers surrounding the arena, her soft green eyes landing on Ruby's big and surprised silvers.

"Me?" She had to again stifle a jolt of shock at the sudden question, it didn't bother her so much that all the other students but Weiss were staring at her now, instead the prospect of fighting while she was still recovering from her near transformation with Oobleck was giving her an anxiety that was hard to fight against.

"Yes, if you'd like, I haven't seen you take on a match in some time and I'm curious to see if you can handle yourself." For a moment and for a moment only, her eyes hardened and her voice held a tone that told Ruby exactly what she was getting at.

 _So if I can handle being in a fight without turning back into a wolf it'll validate her position on sending me to night classes instead of suspension._ From her periphery Ruby could see a head of white hair seated one row down beside a pair of cat ears belonging to Blake.

"Yes Ma'am." She wasn't confident, not so soon after a full moon, but she wasn't going to let herself get suspended without trying to show that all the years of honing her self control had paid off.

"Good. As for your opponent… Mr. Arc, would you like to be Ms. Rose' opponent?" Her gaze shifted over to a young man sitting not far from Ruby with deep blue eyes and long blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Jaune seemed like he was zoned out a little, being snapped to attention as his name was called.

"Thank you. I look forward to seeing your match." With a thankful nod Glynda stepped back, waiting for the two combatants to enter the ring.

Ruby however was far less than thankful. Of all the opponents she could have picked Jaune was one of the worst for her. _It would be a disaster pairing me up against Weiss, Blake's better than me and our fighting styles are similar enough that I know I'll get hit a lot. Pyrrha would be bad for me to fight too, she's just that good. Maybe when we first got to Beacon Jaune would have been the perfect opponent for me but now… I don't know what Ms. Goodwitch is thinking!_

Still, despite her reservations as she walked into the arena, she knew this was something she couldn't avoid if she wanted to avoid suspension. So, when she stepped forward to face her opponent, she took a long, deep breath, slowing her heart rate as much as she could as she reached for her weapon on her back. They were both wearing their school uniforms, not the most comfortable thing to fight in but she hoped that it would hinder him more than her.

"If both of you are ready… you may begin."

In two separate flashes of steel both fighters drew their respective weapons. Jaune wielding a sword and shield, classic and formidable, especially in his hands. Meanwhile, Ruby pulled out her signature weapon; the scythe Rose Thorns.

It was trimmed down immensely so as to be extremely lightweight despite its size. It boasted two thin, highly hardened steel blades each no more than a few centimeters in height, one fixed with most of its length towards the back of the weapon while the lower of the two blades protruded out in front, both anchored together but apart by a razor sharp length of thin metal connecting them at a diagonal angle. The whole weapon stood taller than her but was light enough to wield with one hand.

As always, Ruby stood poised and ready, never making the first move. Her focus wasn't on her opponent but rather on the far more important battle within herself against the wolf. She gripped the red painted shaft of her weapon, looking to her wrist to see her pulse slowly but surely rising. She wanted to end it fast but Jaune wouldn't go down easily, staying human was more important than winning, both to her and to Goodwitch.

"Hey, don't go getting distracted!" With a grin on his face Jaune rushed forward, his shield up and his blade reared back ready to slash at her. With one last steadying breath Ruby prepared herself for battle.

Jaune's sword cut through the air with a such force that a powerful shock wave followed…. but all his blade met were rose petals. In an instant he spun around, raising up his shield to his side just in time to catch razor blades as they raked across the metal metal, screeching as they clawed at it with high speed. Meters away Ruby came sliding to a stop, her scythe cutting into the floor to halt her momentum. Even though their exchange was little more than an instant Jaune couldn't help but feel taunted by the disengaged and indifferent look in her eyes.

With teeth gritted and his grip tight and true around his sword and shield he charged again, this time with a forward thrust of his blade. Once again however, Ruby's body dematerialized into petals that flowed around his strike. Still, Jaune trusted his gut and threw all of his strength and weight to the side using his shield as a buffer as he braced himself for the chance that he was wrong.

 **Slam!**

Ruby felt the extreme force of the impact send shockwaves through her body an instant before she was thrown to the ground, her aura depleted by almost half in a single blow before she rolled to a stop, her heart pounding and her watch beeping incessantly. An all too familiar urge was calling to her, to be let loose, to be free, to be herself. It wasn't just something compelling her, it was her, she wanted to be free, to be a wolf and fight with all the ferocity that came with it… but her will to stay as a human, her dream of becoming a Huntress like her mother was strong enough to suppress who she truly was… _No matter the cost._

"I give up." The words left Ruby's lips with a long exhale as she let her eyes close, desperately trying to calm her heart and her emotions, the pain of losing so easily wasn't helping at all.

"But the fight just started?" Jaune frowned, sheathing his sword into his shield that transformed into the sheath as he walked over to his former opponent still laying on the floor.

"You hit like a truck Jaune. I've had enough." Her voice was cold and distant, trying to conceal the bitterness of her defeat. The movement in the air around her told her to open her eyes and just for a moment feeling as though she would certainly see her own snout and whiskers. Instead, as her big silver eyes fluttered open, she found she was still human, giving her a small pang of disappointment until she saw the hand extended out to her.

"Take it from me, if you don't push yourself all the time you won't get stronger. You shouldn't give up so easily, you have more potential than I do." Those weren't dissimilar to the words Pyrrha had said to him many times over. Since their first year he had watched the leader of Team RWBY struggle on all fronts; making friends, leading her team, grades, combat, missions… _She's having a harder time than I did and it doesn't seem like anyone is trying to pull her up like Pyrrha did for me. Weiss just yells at her, Blake doesn't seem to ever interact with her and her sister is never around. Sure she's a little cold and distant but she needs friends who will accept her as she is, then I think she'll start feeling more confident._

"I'll keep that in mind…" Ruby reached her hand up, accepting Jaune's with a blank expression. In her heart she felt a tumultuous mix of depression, exhilaration, gratitude and regret as he pulled her to her feet… and her watch stopped beeping.

"Hey, you're always welcome to hang out with us you know?" His smile was almost infectious. He had matured and grew in confidence so much since enrolling at Beacon and just for a moment, Ruby felt hope. _But I can't. I can't have friends who don't know that I'm a wolf because I can't be myself around them. No one else will ever know the real me. They can't…_

"You okay, Ruby?" His smile faded to be replaced with a worried look at the girl before him who suddenly looked so immensely sad he felt the urge to hug her.

"I-"

 **Ding!**

The bell cut her off before she could say another word, looking to Jaune with parted lips and forlorn eyes before they cooled back down to a blank and cold expression. _It's pointless to try to make friends. I'm a wolf… I always knew I didn't belong here but once I graduate and become a Huntress things will get better… they have to get better, won't they Mom?_

"Thank you Jaune. I appreciate the offer but I have to decline." Without having the stomach to wait for a response or even see the look on his face Ruby walked away, picking up her scythe and collapsing it, holstering it to her back before making her way to the door.

"That was shameful. You really couldn't take more than one hit?" An aggravatingly familiar voice spoke up just before Ruby reached the threshold of the door.

"No Weiss, I couldn't." She didn't even turn to face her partner as she stopped at the door, focusing on subtle breathing exercises and stress reduction to keep her human.

"You rarely ever fight and the first time you do in months and you can't even land a hit!?" Weiss growled at Ruby but all the young leader could do was smirk in amusement, wishing she could show her partner what a real growl sounded like.

"Oh, so you think this is funny!? That's it! I've had it with-"

"Weiss, let it go. You do this all the time and it never resolves anything." Blake's calm and collected voice took the thunder out of Weiss' rage, the cat Faunus placing her hand on her teammate's shoulder. "Besides, class isn't the place to for something like this."

"Fine." Begrudgingly, Weiss resigned herself to Blake's advice, muttering incorrectly as Blake rubbed her shoulder, trying her best to deescalate the tense situation.

"I'll see you both later. I have have to pick out the next mission for our team." Her voice sounded so entirely devoid of life that it almost made Weiss worry for her leader. Still, no one said a word as Ruby walked out of the room… alone.

 _Just three more weeks. Three more weeks and then I can be myself again. Just three more weeks…_


	3. Waxing

"Really? This is just had to be the mission you chose for our team? I'd almost be offended if it weren't so predictable." Team RWBY's resident heiress was as pleasant as ever as the team of Huntresses in training made their way through the slums of vale on a particularly warm autumn day. Their team however even walked with signs of division between them, rather than partners walking with partners, the sisters Ruby and Yang walked together on the interior of the sidewalk close to the buildings while Blake and Weiss walked on the edge closer to the street. As always seemed to happen, Weiss was trying to walk in the lead but for some reason couldn't bring herself to overtake Ruby.

Ruby however was stoic and seemingly unfazed. Her heart rate was steady and calm over the past few days, a week a half since the last full moon. It didn't feel great, the waning connection to her true self but she knew that the waxing moon would always bring her back to the forest where she could be free. She wouldn't even let Weiss ruin her good mood. THey we're on a mission and it deserved her focus. Still, she had a good reason that she didn't love the fact that the mission called for casual wear, leaving Ruby wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a red hoodie wrapped around her waist, Yang in white shorts and a tank top, Blake in black leggings with a matching black top and Weiss in white skirt and blouse combo.

"What's the matter princess? Don't like casually strolling through the ghettos? Don't worry, I bet some drug dealers around her have some pretty nice houses." Yang couldn't help herself being unfriendly around Weiss, the heiress to the Schnee Dust company hand been a thorn in Ruby's paw ever since she got to Beacon. The source of most of hr little sister's distress. Needless to say, standoffish could be putting it mildly, even if Ruby told her to leave Weiss alone.

"No, I do not have a problem wandering around in this dilapidated wasteland of a town. What I do have a problem with is wandering around this dilapidated wasteland of a town looking for some petty criminal that the police barely want to bother with!" They could all feel Weiss getting defensive, Yang could tell by looking at her, her posture as she folded her arms, Blake could tell because her sensitive ears could pick up that distinctive stress. As for Ruby, her senses had dulled significantly since the full moon but she could still swear she could smell Weiss' frustration from her position in the front of their team.

"Besides, why waste our time with some lowly vandal? They're not worth our time and I don't see why the police can't deal with this problem, lock them away and throw away the key for as long as the laws in this kingdom allow!" Weiss' rage was rapidly flipping between her leader and their target. She remember she used to be so poised and reserved, never so easily flustered… _But my infuriating so called leader has given me a poor temperament!_

"You just hate the vandal because he's gone after the company you want to inherit and the military your sister is in." Yang smirked walking a little faster than before, coming up right behind Ruby putting Weiss in third in front of Blake, teasing their their true hierarchy… _No matter what the spoiled brat thinks._

"Not just the SDC and Atlas but the White Fang, corrupt politicians, militaries, lawyers, dirty cops, criminal organizations-"

"Who Blake, didn't know you were into bad boys." The brawler's eyes brightened and her voice became warmer as she looked to her partner. Blake was someone Yang had no problems with even if she tended to softly side with Weiss. She was a force of de-escalation on their team, usually the only one other than Ruby who didn't intentionally antagonize anyone.

"I'm not, they're far more trouble than they're worth." She couldn't help but find the assertion a little funny. "Still, we don't know anything about them, they might not even be a man."

"Nah, I'm betting he's a guy. It takes balls to tag the places he has." Blake just rolled her eyes at Yang's antics but they rarely failed to make her smile.

"Ugh, do you need to be so crass?!" Weiss stomped her food against the worn out sidewalk, her heel clicking against the concrete as she glared at Yang in disgust.

"Weiss, that's enough." Finally, Ruby spoke up, cold and seemingly as unfeeling as ever. At once all four came to a dead stop, a cool wind rolling across the ghettos and the sparse traffic filling the relative silence. She didn't turn around, instead the leader turned her head down an alley and then forward again down the street, instinctively sniffing at the air, feeling a pang of depression when her sense of smell turned out to be barely better than a normal human, or so she assumed, still far more dulled than the day after a full moon and nothing compared to when she was a wolf.

"You got an idea Sis?" Yang had a hard time reading her sister when she was human, after all, their leader did her best to suppress ever hint of what she was but little, barely noticeable things sometimes slipped through. Sniffing the air was a frequent one.

"We're splitting up to cover more ground. Weiss, you and Blake continue down this street and solicit information from anyone you can find. Yang and I will start going down the alleys and dead districts to see if they have tagged any of the abandoned buildings." Ruby looked glanced down at her watch, watching her heart rate. She was less prone to turning this far between full moons but still she had to be careful all the time, keeping her heart on a leash at every moment, never letting it slip for fear of revealing her true self.

"You don't have to take this so seriously, you picked a first year mission for us. Not just a first year mission but one of the easiest they had to offer. Don't pretend that you're not just lazy by suddenly taking this responsibly." Anger and disdain were just dripping from Weiss' voice as she glared at Ruby, still compelled to retain a defensive posture and keep more than an arm's length between them even if she didn't realize it.

"You're right, this is an easy mission. So it really shouldn't be a problem for you." Weiss was getting to her, making her angry. _I want to bite her so badly… I'll take my frustration out on something next full moon._

"You're right, this shouldn't be my problem." Finally, Weiss compelled herself to take a step forward, a tepid and nervous step but a defiant one all the same. Now even she could feel the rising hostility in her leader and even though she knew she was far stronger than Ruby from her demonstrations in combat, Weiss felt nothing short of a chill of mortal fear as Ruby turned to face her for the first time on their walk, her eyes burning with the ferocity of a wild animal.

"Weiss…" Ruby could feel it as she growled her partner's name, the clawing and gnawing in her chest and stomach, the heat in her blood, the energy surging through every nerve fiber in her body begging her to let herself be free as her heart rate kept rising.

"Ruby don't-" Before Yang's outstretched hand could reach her sister… their leader turned away, her hoodie flowing behind her in the breeze like her cape as she began walking into the narrow, trash littered alley, without a word. Sparing a glance at Blake, silently asking her to handle things with Weiss, Yang then turned and walked hurriedly after her sister.

The entire time since seeing those eyes, Weiss didn't realize… she had been holding her breath out of fear.

"Sis wait up!" Yang was now jogging after her sister, checking behind her to see that Weiss and Blake seemed to be doing as Ruby said.

"I didn't want to pick this mission you know?" All the anger that she once held was completely snuffed out by the pain of depression. She was barely holding herself together, were the moon full she knew she likely would have blown her secret the moment she glare at Weiss.

"I know…" Yang knew that Ruby could have a lot of pride and constantly having to turn down missions due to physical limitations and risking revealing her true self didn't help her self esteem or stress. _She's changed since she's come to Beacon, her human side was always colder since she was little and started learning how to control herself. I didn't understand at the time but she was locking away her own heart and soul, her true self, a little girl… I remember when we lost Mom she just shut down, didn't feel or even get out of bed for days. Finally, when she turned into a wolf the next full moon, you could hear her howling cries all night filling the entire island of Patch. When she finally came home days later she hugged me and cried… and turned back into a wolf again. She can't be herself if she's not a wolf. Beacon has honestly been the worst thing for her since Mom passed away._

"I know- I know because of what I am that I can never be a great Huntress like mom… I won't save the day and make people safe from monsters... I can't." Ruby was desperately trying to rein herself in and venting wasn't helping. She could feel her emotions beginning to run free so she did the only thing she could… she froze them in ice, froze her heart and soul behind what she convinced herself were unbreakable glaciers, and let out a soft breath.

"But no matter what, I'll do what I can as a Huntress, if it helps people then I'll do it, just like Mom." The wolf-in-human-skin's eyes were as hard as steel as she stared stoically forward, Yang walking close behind as they turned the corner.

 _I know you Sis, better than anyone. You're stubborn and ambitious and confident and strong. You're an excitable little puppy and a powerful, dominating wolf. There are things you don't want to hear that I have to say, I won't bother you with them right now, you've got too much going on. Still, later, I'll tell you that I think you should drop out of Beacon. I'd come with, think of the adventures we could have! That's what I'm here for anyway. You could throw that watch away and finally be free… you can finally be happy. That's what Mom would have wanted the most for you._

"Hey Ruby, so you're a wolf huh?"

"Damn it Yang I swear if you say I'm having a 'ruff' time I will turn into a wolf and bite you." As annoyed as she sounded Ruby was glad to be able to talk so freely, even if most of her was still on ice.

"Oh don't worry, those puns aren't getting old anytime soon, actually I had a question about wolves." Yang grinned as she took up Ruby's side, her leading inching out ever so slightly ahead without even noticing.

"Oh." Those big mirror like eyes turned to the elder sister with a glow of happiness and enthusiasm while a smile slowly but surely pulled at her lips. "Um, sure! What do you want to know!?"

"So, you're the leader of our team and you're good at it, when you're a wolf you kinda just give off a strong vibe. So are you an Alpha Wolf or something?" Her genuine curiosity seemed to make her sister almost as happy as her question made her proud, puffing out her chest just a little as she smirked.

"Something like that, yeah. I don't like being told what to do by my pack. I know that I can decide what's best, I just feel it. I don't usually listen to my instincts though… for obvious reasons." The dejection came flooding back with a vengeance as her eyes that sparkled with light dulled and darkened.

"So our team is your pack?" Somehow, that idea made Yang weirdly happy. _A pack is like a family to a wolf right? It kinda gives me this feeling of belonging. Still, maybe we need a new pack._

"A very dysfunctional pack where half of them don't even know that they're in a wolf's pack and one very frustrating and insolent Omega who thinks she could be the Alpha." Ruby was growling now, her teeth bared and her steps faster, her instincts battling her self control as she struggled to keep her clam.

"So basically you see Weiss as someone who is trying to usurp your authority. I guess an Alpha kinda needs to deal with being challenged every once in a while." Yang watched her sister/Alpha for cues as the whether she was on the right track with her thinking, after all, only one of them as a real wolf. Still, Ruby seemed a bit too preoccupied trying to hide that fact to give detailed answers.

"Yeah, it's part of being a leader, someone like her always thinks she can take my position." A long sigh of resignation left her lungs as she looked up to the sky. _Still, I can't blame Weiss for thinking the things she does about me. She's right about some of it too. I'm not a strong fighter, I never have been, I'm always too worried about turning back into a wolf to focus on a fight and my aura pool is really low. I don't communicate well because I can't, I can't let myself feel things or get hurt or excited, I can't follow my instincts because I can't be myself, I can't reveal my secret, not haphazardly, not in a way that could cause trouble, that was a condition from Ozpin himself._

"But you're the Apha and it seems pretty obvious to me by the look on her face when you glared at her that she can just feel it even if she doesn't suspect that you're a wolf. Why don't you try putting her in her place? I bet it would make you feel better and get Weiss off your back." Yang had been known to have quite a temper when she was younger, she knew it could sometimes be cathartic but not always. She had to learn to control her anger, or rather, she wanted to, because she wanted to show Ruby back then that change wasn't bad thing. _Holding herself back all the time… some days it seemed like it was physically painful for her to do that. I wanted to be supportive, we learned breath exercises and self control techniques together. I guess part of me wanted my sister to just be normal, I was wrong, she was so young when she broke herself… I could never understand what it's like for her, killing who you are just to follow a dream..._

"Trust me, every day she challenges me, especially lately, I just want to sink my teeth into her to get her to understand. Even if that bite is just a verbal lashing, it still would be more satisfying than letting her walk away with nothing after acting that way. Still, as much as I would love to follow my instincts, I can't and you know it." She had to admit the image of her actually biting Weiss was making her smile a little. _Just a nip, enough to break the skin and let her know that she has a specific place in our pack._

"Yeah I know but I don't like seeing her treat you that way. She disliked you from the moment you were made partners. I still don't think she's let go of you refusing to join the Vytal Festival Tournament and that was over a year ago." That particular decision hurt team morale back then but it was a big weight off Ruby's shoulders. _Ozpin wouldn't have let us fight anyway. Ruby turning into a wolf in front of millions of people and possibly maiming her opponents? No, that would have been a literal disaster._

"I know. For now there's nothing we can do but try to make it through the next two years without incident, graduate and then I won't need a… pack." Somehow those last few words felt heavy and bitter in her mouth, a feeling of wrongness permeating through her body that made her almost sick to her stomach.

"Maybe… you need a new pack. One that accepts you for who you are… in a different environment where you don't have to crush yourself under ice all the time." Ruby came to a weak and slow stop, her head hung low and her dull eyes fixed on the ground as Yang stopped beside her, giving her sister a gentle, reassuring hand to her shoulder. _Human or Wolf, whatever pack you decide on… I just want you to be you, Ruby. I want you happy._

"Yang." Her voice was hard and urgent, holding an edge of intensity that made Yang instantly regret saying what she had initially planned on keeping to herself for the time.

"Ruby I'm sorry, I just don't think that putting yourself through all of this is the right thing for you and-"

"No, look." With a subtle jerk of her head she indicated to Yang to follow where her gaze was resting and as her sister did so, they both saw it.

Painted on the fractured and crumbling cement between abandoned buildings were cool blue circles connected with thin blue lines forming a matrix of dots and lines in the alley… leading down one specific path.

"The paint is fresh, I can smell it." Without hesitation, Ruby walked forward, following the trail while Yang hesitated, just watching her sister with a forlorn look in her lilac eyes. Though she couldn't see it, Ruby's jaw was clenched and her heart ached. She heard every word.

 _Do you think I like this? I hate it, I hate being like this. I feel cold and wrong all the time and it hurts. I never asked to be born a wolf but even so I've always dreamed of being a huntress… maybe she's right. I know I'd be so much happier running around a forest not being terrified of feeling my own emotions or acting on my own instincts. I could breath without feeling like there's weight on my chest, I could run as fast as I wanted, I could play as hard as I felt like and I could be happy without restraint. Damn it… maybe Yang's right. I know I don't belong at Beacon, I don't belong in society, not in the city at least. Still, I don't want to be alone, I want to have a pack, I want to be accepted… could I get that from humans and Faunus? Or maybe… I should just be with other wolves? Either way, if I leave, I'd lose my sister._

"You okay?" Yang finally caught up with with her sister and it was easy to tell by her demeanor and by even more by the breathing exercises that she was doing that what Yang had said had really gotten to her.

"I don't know Yang, I'm stressed out and I don't know if there's a right way to handle any of it. Biting Weiss would be satisfying, so would yelling at her, but it wouldn't make my pack any less wrong for me. Night classes are going to make things worse between me and Weiss I just know it, that will cause more tension for all of us. Getting suspended might sound like a vacation but It's not, Weiss would hate me and she would be right to for leaving my team without a leader like that. Leaving Beacon for good… I don't know Sis, I just don't know." She had been on the verge of transforming for way longer than she wanted to, the emotional stress of everything was compounding and it felt like it would crush her if she didn't freeze it out and avoid stress or release some of it… and she knew only one was even an option.

"Hey, don't worry, you don't have to decide anything right now, just try to relax and I'll keep Weiss off your back until the next full moon alright? You could either start night classes early with me or I can move to day classes until the Perigee or whatever then we both do night classes. That way I'll be around to keep your head above water." Having a wolf for a sister and having to be a fill in parent for Ruby after their mom died had left Yang very protective of Ruby and that only grew once she saw what Beacon was doing to her.

"Thank you…" A soft breath left Ruby and a tiny, grateful smile lit up her otherwise hard and expressionless face. _Yang has always been there to protect me. I might have fallen deeper into depression than I could handle many times without her. Growing up not understanding why I was so different, why I couldn't be myself when I was in public, it hurt but Yang is always there to give me hope._

"Um…" Yang's dumbfounded and bewildered hum broke Ruby from her thoughts as both girls came to a stop, staring in confusion at the scene before them, glancing to each other before looking back at what was happening in front of them.

A girl with pale pink hair, small in stature and frame with sun tanned skin and modestly defined muscles. She wore a loose white top stained with spattered paints of all colors with a red string around her flat stomach and with worn blue denim daisy-dukes stood on a crate looking at the with her light apricot colored eyes, on hand propped against the concrete wall while her other held a can modified of spray paint. Time seemed to freeze for all three of the young women as they stared at each other, her big eyes blinking and her expression complex but unreadable.

Then… she went back to spraying the wall with intense focus like Ruby and Yang we're even there.

"Well… looks like I lost that bet. Gotta say, not who I was expecting." Yang awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, her fingers running through her long blonde hair and her other hand resting on her hip as she watched the strange girl work.

"Excuse me! Could you put the paint down and sto-"

Ruby was brought to silence as the girl pulled her pain can from the wall without looking towards them even for a moment, her artwork taking up the entirety of her focus save for the little she used to raise up her index finger at the two girls before quickly setting back to work spraying the wall.

At that, Ruby and Yang just exchanged perplexed looks and a resigned shrug before both silently deciding to walk over to the young woman who was too preoccupied to listen to them but was just too enthralled in her work for Ruby to feel comfortable with stopping her by force.

"Wow…" In unison the sisters gaped as they stared up the side of the abandoned building at the massive painting, standing right beside the artist as she continued to paint without regard to them.

It was a a very well painted sky scraper in black and white leading all the way up towards the uppermost limit of the of the two story building brick building. At its peak were the upper echelons, the powerful and wealthy in the lap of luxury and safety, the ruling class drawn as shadowy figures with perpetual, almost horrifying smiles painted in red. Below them was Professor Ozpin, the, a green silhouette with his signature cane standing above a trove of weapons and young men and women and mere black shadows splashed with red and some bandaged while a few looked towards the viewer of the art with blue tears dripping from their non existent eyes, one was even holding a paper that read 'obituary' with only the age of deceased written below it… just seventeen.

Below them were the military, then the well off businessman, the wealthy, the lawyers and the celebrities. Below them were blue collar workers, farmers and the like, tilling fields with Grimm eying them hungrily in the distance.

Finally, at the bottom where she worked, the skyscraper that had been pristine at the top was now crumbling and its windows were broken while some had bars. In one window you could see a the feet of someone dangling from the ceiling painted in blue… they had presumably taken their own life. Finally, at the base were numerous figures, thin and struggling to climb up, many had faunus traits.

"You like it?" She finally spoke, the hiss of her spray paint can coming to a stop as she pulled a spent syringe from the wall, leaving its imprint juxtaposed against the splash of red paint that surrounded it before carelessly tossing it to her side opposite of the sisters where all manner of trash she had collected from the alleys was covered in her paint.

"You did this?" Ruby's voice was barely a stunned whisper as her eyes moved up and down the astonishing graffiti. She hadn't bothered to look at much of their target's artwork but she knew the artist was good but seeing it in person was… _Breathtaking_.

Ruby didn't even notice but as she marveled at the wall, her heart began to beat just a little bit faster.

"Yeah, you caught me." With a heavy and dejected sigh the small woman hopped down from the crate, lifting up the hem of her paint stained top to reveal a leather belt holding up her shorts which she holstered her paint can to. "Glad you like it at least…"

"You don't? I mean, it looks pretty incredible even if it is technically illegal." Yang folded her arms over her chest, still taking in the nuances of the painting.

"It… isn't my best work." She looked genuinely disappointed and her voice carried a subdued hint of frustration. "It's not special or creative, it's just paint on a wall…"

"I think it's amazing. You clearly have a lot of passion for it." Ruby finally broke herself free of the art that had captivated her, her demeanor as cold as even. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"You get what the art is trying to say right?" Her eyes locked with Ruby's, staring deep into those big silvers as though she were trying to figure them out.

"Vale has a problem. It's a beautiful and safe city… or so they market themselves. It's true for the suburbs and Main Street, the well off districts and those close the Beacon. The ghettos though, they're a different story." With a soft sigh she glanced up at her work, a wistful look joining the disheartened visage of her face.

"There's a massive wealth disparity in Vale between the classes of the city and those in the lowest ranks are often stuck here by social and economic barriers that can be hard to overcome. Drugs like Venom fill the slums and it goes largely unchecked because it keeps the population from getting so miserable that they attract the Grimm, even if it gives them an early death. This hands off policy also allows from crime to flourish so sinister and radical organizations like the White Fang grow roots here. I want my art to speak to people, to draw attention to these communities so they can get exposure and help and so maybe, as much as possible, the people responsible can be held accountable." By the time she had gotten halfway through her speech, the flame of passion was again reignited in her voice and her paint covered hands had balled into fists.

"So… as long as it does that, it doesn't matter if I like it right?" Now her words held a tone of wanting, her apricot eyes pleading to Ruby's for some sort of answer that neither of them had at that moment.

"Look, that's all very sad and very noble but what you're doing is still illegal." Yang sighed, shaking her head to clear it of empathetic thoughts when she knew they had a job to do. "We're Huntresses in training from Beacon and our mission is to bring you in so-"

"Oh! Hey, look at the time, I gotta run but thanks a lot for chatting with me! Heh-heh…" Her face burst into a bright smile and her cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink as she laughed awkwardly and started to slowly back away.

"Oh no you don't!" Yang stomped forward, her gauntlets unfurling, revealing her Ember Celica, the only weapon any of them were allowed to bring due to its ease of concealment.

"Yang watch out! The floor!" The warning cry from Ruby came too late as the matrix of dots and lines beneath their feet began to glow, freezing air emanating up from what they thought were innocuous paintings, all while their target smirked.

In the next instant Ruby and Yang's feet were encased in solid ice that was unleashed from the Dust infused paint, the blonde brawler nearly toppling as her momentum was pulled against by the sheet of ice bracing them to the concrete. The artist meanwhile reached to her sides, pulling back out not one but two of modified spray paint cans with a playful and excited look in her eyes.

"Pretty neat huh? It's a proprietary blend of Dust and non toxic paint that me and a friend developed. Works great for me, no one ever sees it coming." She was giggling but Ruby only stared at her in fear as her heart started beating out control… from fear.

 _This- this was supposed to be an easy mission, no one told me the vandal could fight! This is really bad! I need to call Weiss and Blake and let them and Yang take this or else I might turn!_ Her chest felt tight and she could feel it again, the immensity, the ferocity, the power. In her heart she knew that a wolf wouldn't let this go, her pack, her family was in danger and she was the Alpha… but she had to force even that back down.

 **Bang!**

The explosive blast of Yang's gauntlet smashing the ice apart tore Ruby from her thoughts. Freezing fragments flew through the air as her front most foot was freed, giving her all the brawler needed to rip her other foot from the ice with just her raw strength. Her hot breath came as hazy clouds in the Dust cooled air and her eyes burned a blazing crimson glaring straight at the vandal.

"Wow, those eyes are stunning, just like the cold girl behind you. Crimson and silver eyes, maybe I'll use them as inspiration for my next piece." Her confidence never wavered and her eyes never faltered from the encroaching blonde whose body was wrapped in an inferno of glowing yellow that radiated heat through the entire alley.

"Keep her busy Yang! I'll call the police and Blake!" Ruby called out, still struggling to fight her growing panic, rising stress, the pain of the ice crushing her ankles against her weak aura and the fear turning. She looked to her watch once more as she pulled out her Scroll… _This isn't good!_

"Sorry! Can't let you do that!" The artist yelled back to Ruby before bursting into a sprint, her fingers on the nozzle of the cans of pressurized, Dust augmented paint.

She hopped up thrusting one can down towards the ground in front of her before releasing a mist of white blue that froze the ground to a slick path of ice. The girl's feet landed without slipping or even shaking her balance while her momentum propelled her forward on the frictionless path that was continually being painting ahead of her.

Yang jumped into the fray, throwing her fist at the oncoming girl as hard as she could, hoping to end the fight as soon as possible… but her fist and subsequent shotgun blast hit only air as the artist ducked, at once evading and accelerating. Holding her second can behind her while she sped past Yang she pushed down on the button sending another mist of red paint out, drawing a line over the side of Yang's torso.

 **Boom!**

A fireball erupted from the red strip on Yang's side just as her target jumped onto the rough and cracked ice sheet that she had trapped Ruby in. The force of the explosion had sent Yang flying into the wall opposite of the artist's labor intensive political statement before gravity took over and dropped her hard on the pavement.

"S-stay back!" Ruby's watch was beeping and it took everything she had to keep herself human, her mind so taken on that single goal that her could only stare impotently at the approaching girl while her thumb hovered just above her teammate's contact on her Scroll.

"You don't need to look so scared, I'm not a monster, but I'm going to be taking this, sorry. I promise I'm not stealing it though!" The artist came to a stop in front or Ruby, giving her a warm and reassuring smile. Ruby just stared back, blinking at her in the same confusion she had when she first saw the vandal. Something in those soft eyes and gentle voice had put Ruby's heart at ease… and then she remembered the passion the so called criminal had for helping people needed it the most.

"Thanks bunches! I'll leave it with the police or if you keep fighting I'll leave it here and you can have it when you wake up." By the time Ruby snapped back to attention by the young woman's words her Scroll was already out of her hand and in the pocket of their target.

"Hey! Give that-" A sudden, loud hiss and the cold feeling of pressurized paint against her skin stopped her mid word as a one of the cans now spat out a mist of black paint that had encircled Ruby's wrist in a rough ring.

"I really hate fighting like this, I mean look at how sloppy that is. Whatever, please stop fighting me? I don't wanna anymore." She frowned, her big eyes expressive and pleading, looking directly into Ruby's even as she sprayed her captive audience' other wrist with a ring of black paint.

"Get away from her!" A belligerent battle cry roared, echoing through the alley before being blown away but the near deafening sound of a shotgun blast!

In the next moment both the vandal and Ruby were toppled, the ice giving way and both sent crashing to the ground as Yang's blast hit their target in the middle of her back. The beeping of Ruby's watch filled the silence that followed the attack from beneath the artist who lay on top of her, groaning in pain as she struggled up, picking her paint cans off the fractured ice.

"Ouch… okay, I guess I have to do this huh?" The artist sat up over Ruby and smiled at her, again with a confusingly reassuring and caring look in those affirming apricot eyes. "You probably shouldn't try to move much, don't worry, I won't hurt your friend, I just want to get away."

"Wait!" Ruby growled as their target forced herself up and turned away. However, the moment Ruby tried to follow… _My arms! I- I can't lift them! Why?_

Looking to her left and then her right, Ruby found the paint encircling her wrists were giving off a dull, dark glow. _Gravity Dust!_

"Alright Yang, that's your name right? Pretty sure that's what I heard your friend call out to you. Sorry about all this, I normally don't get caught and I don't think I've ever had Huntsmen sent after me. Can't you just let me go? I'm not hurting anyone besides the people oppressing others and the people trying to hurt me." Even as she spoke, asking for an end to their fight, she kept her fingers on the tops of her spray paint cans, ready to go another round with an enraged Yang.

The brawler didn't respond with words, instead she let a powerful flare of her aura do the talking as she stomped forward to meet her opponent, fresh rounds loading into the barrels of her gauntlets. Yang's eyes looked behind her adversary for just a moment, seeing Ruby laying down in the crumbled ice, focusing on her breathing. Ruby's watch had stopped beeping.

"Guess not… alright then, but you asked for it." The artist's gaze hardened only sighted as she stopped, looking up at the significantly taller woman merely inchens away.

In powerful and fast punch Yang struck first but opponent hopped backwards just out of reach while, holstering one can at her side while misting the air around Yang's fist with black paint that settled on her skin.

Without realizing exactly what her opponent was playing at Yang kept up her attack, launching blow after blow, about half augmented with her shotgun blasts but almost all being expertly parried. The artist was calm and composed, her focus almost as intense as it was on her painting on the wall earlier as she pushed aside Yang's punches with her free hand while continually dousing her in little by little more black paint, tagging her arms, legs, torso and shoulders when she got in close, only taking a few hits along the way.

"Finally finished." The vandal sighed with a tired smile, bunny hopping backwards out of reach of Yang's last punch. "You were a little more fun than your friend but trying to paint well while fighting is still impossible. Seriously, how cool would it have been if I could have painted something beautiful on you in the middle of a fight? I guess I'm pretty far off from where I'd like to be…"

"What are talking about and why aren't you even hitting me?!" It was pissing Yang off, that first explosion from the artist's paint had only given her Semblance a small boost and it was exhausted quickly. Their exchange had done nothing but leave her tired and unharmed.

"Because this is better." The artist grinned fully renewed amusement a moment before the paint began to glow on Yang' body.

An instant later… Yang collapsed to the ground, the sheer weight the gravity Dust imparted onto her cracking the cement and shaking the ground.

"Don't worry, active Dust degrades the paint, it'll go away on its own soon." The artist walked up to her, standing over the brawler with grin as she holstered her other can. Once more, the alley would have fallen into a tranquil quiet… were it not for that strange beeping that had started again in the middle her and Yang's bout.

"I- I'm not letting you off that easily!" Despite all her strength and her Semblance, Yang struggled to so much as pull her arms in towards her with how crushingly heavy she felt.

"You really won't quit huh? That's cool, I really like that. You know, art is ninety percent tenacity? You might make a pretty good artist if you channeled that into something other than punching. For now though, I've gotta knock you out because you shouldn't be able to move at all it's kinda scaring me that you can." With an awkward laugh and a silly grin the artist began reaching for her spray paint can… then, the beeping became instantly more frantic and a chill ran down her spine.

"Get away from my sister!"

The roar barely sounded human and it turned the artist's blood to ice as she spun around to face it. Yang too looked up, her head being the only part of her not she could move marked with paint. At once, for both of them… time seemed to freeze.

Ruby was standing amongst the pulverized ice, rose petals materialized from all over her body and her teeth her bared ferociously at the artist. Yang knew what was coming next.

In only a single second and an explosive burst of petals Ruby's body shifted, her clothes ripped to shreds, her perfect pale skin replaced by black fur that shifted to a gradient of red at her paws and tip of her tail and ears. She was powerful and imposing, the size of a small horse, and her muscles bulged beneath her thick, warm pelt. Her silver eyes stared forward with a predatory menace that made all who stared back feel like prey as her lips pulled up to show her deadly fangs.

Ruby was a wolf.

"Did- did she just-"

 **CRASH!**

The artist couldn't say another word before an impact that felt like a high speed train slammed into her from head on before smashing her into a wall over ten meters back with enough force to fracture the concrete. All Yang saw of any of this was a blur… and rose petals.

Warm blood… it was a familiar and comforting taste. The feeling of bone cracking under her bite was satisfying, her jaws always felt right when they fought to bite into something. Her senses were back at their fullest and she could feel everything. Through her teeth and whiskers she could feel the heartbeat of the young woman in her jaws. She could hear not only the artist's breathing but Yang's, they were both breathing heavily, her sister from fear and her prey from pain.

She could smell them too, the smell of blood and paint was the most potent, both competing for dominance in her mind as both were so closely connected to the person she was biting. Even so, the smell of the ghetto itself wasn't lost on her extremely sensitive nose, it was nothing like what she had experienced as a human. She could smell the rotting buildings, the pollution, the faint traces of people who had been in that same alley days or even weeks before, all unique.

Above all though, the one thing Ruby felt most potently, more strongly than any sense or feeling, was the unimaginable feeling of release. _I'm finally free…_

"Ouch… I- I think you broke my rib wolf girl. Heh- heh…" The artist's voice was strained with agony but still held that chipper and playful tone as she let her body go limp in Ruby's clamped jaws.

"Grrrrr…" As a warning against even the thought of fighting back Ruby growled as she bit down just a little harder into her side, feeling the bone give a couple more millimeters.

"Gah! I- give, you win this time wolf girl. I don't think I could run even if you let me go so maybe- maybe ease up a little?" Ruby could feel the girl convulse from the spike in pain when she bit down. Despite the obvious agony, she was still fighting to keep a smile on her face.

 _Fine… she's injured now. Even if she managed to get away I'll never forget the smell of her blood._ With a soft exhale Ruby let her body relax as she slowly and carefully pulled her jaws from the young woman's bone, flesh and skin. Crimson vital fluid trickled from the rows of punctures while Ruby licked her lips, not letting the pleasant flavor go to waste even if it did only make her hungry.

"Thanks, wolf girl." She smiled a little brighter, her expression lit up with gratitude even while she was shaking from the pain. "Hey, can I ask you something strange?"

Ruby looked up at the girl, tilting her head slightly as a curious wine rumbled from her throat, her posture becoming entirely unthreatening but her big, round, silver eyes looking warily at the person who had just been their opponent until a moments ago.

"Can I tell you my name in exchange for letting me pet you?" The artist gave a pleading grin while her hands remained limp on the ground at her sides, letting herself be as vulnerable as possible.

That drew a very shocked look of surprise from the wolf her brows raising and her head jerking back slightly, the red tipped ears atop her head flicking as though to ensure they were still working properly. For a moment Ruby's expression shifted from confused to hostile before she stepped slightly away, her tail lashing frustratedly in short bursts while her eyes looked anywhere but to the girl laying on the ground against the fractured wall.

 _But… maybe just this once. She doesn't seem like a bad person and the only one who's ever petted me before is Yang. I kinda want it and I'm a wolf, I've already changed, I don't need to hold myself back anymore. At least, not right now._

With a long huff Ruby ambled forward, her snout low and her eyes never meeting the weird, eccentric girl as she presented the top of her head to the artist. Her ears flicked in unison inwards, urging her to hurry and get it over with and the artist happily obliged.

"It's Verna, Verna Tranquous…" Verna smiled, trying to keep her breaths as steady as possible through the pain. Her hand reached up slowly with her fingers outstretched, pausing to let Ruby smell her hand, the wolf taking in so much just from her sweat, even her mood and intentions though the smell of paint made it harder than usual.

Finally, after about a minute of sniffing had passed, Ruby again lowered her head and waited for the sensation of a gentle human touch. To Verna, the instant her fingers brushed against the tips of Ruby's unbelievably soft fur she was taken completely in. Taken in by everything, the way her fingers sank almost halfway down into her coat before reaching her skin, the warmth of her body, the heat of her breath, the strength of her bite and the stunning power and authority she could feel coming off the wolf just by being in her presence.

"Thank you again, wolf girl." Verna smiled and her body relaxed. Her eyes fluttered closed and feeling of satisfaction overtook the pain while art started coming to life in her mind to take herself as far from the rest of the pain as she could.

"Ruby, you okay?" Yang staggered over, the paint had released her and she wasn't worse for wear from her battle with Verna.

"Woof!" Ruby spun around tail wagging fast and sustained and her ears perked up before bolting over to her sister, jumping up on her hind legs while her forelegs kept her upright against Yang as Ruby's wet nose worked over her, checking for any injury without thinking about how her size could have easily toppled the brawler.

"Yeah yeah Sis, I'm fine, don't worry about me." Yang reached down and started scratching Ruby behind her ears, her fingers quickly working her way down her sister's jaw making her back leg begin to kick nearly throwing them both off balance.

"Hey, Ruby and Yang! Ouch!" Verna winced as her call sent a wave of pain radiating through her chest, but still, she could see that it got their attention when they both turned to face her.

"You're weird, maybe after the police let me walk we can hang out sometime!" She was beaming even as her hand held as tight as she could to the still bleeding wound Ruby had inflicted on her. Even as Ruby and Yang looked awkwardly at each other, Verna couldn't help but feel like drawing out the scene before her… with her own artistic flare thrown in of course.

"Okay, she's crazy. I'll call Uncle Qrow to come pick you up with some clothes then I'll get Blake and Weiss along with the police for her." Yang pulled out her Scroll and went into her contacts for Qrow. _He's not going to like this. He never loved the idea of Ruby coming to Beacon and this is the first time she's lost control on a mission. I hope she doesn't get in trouble… she was just trying to protect her pack._


	4. Perigee: Part 1

"Hey Pup, sorry we made you wait in here so long." The door pushed open letting the fluorescent light flow into the dark room. A small girl sat alone at a round, wooden table, staring outwards through the window into the night sky at the shattered moon, its fragments almost entirely visible as a the full moon drew ever nearer. Even though the girl before him was clearly human, the man that entered could only see a scared, anxious wolf wishing to escape.

"It's okay Uncle Qrow… nothing about this last week has been easy." With a sigh Ruby looked down at her watch, her heartbeat was already rising. "I'm sure it hasn't been much better for you or the other teachers."

"Yeah, it's been pretty crazy. A lot of arguing and boring conversations I barely remember, drank through over half our meetings have the starting getting repetitive. Everyone had their own ideas about how to deal with this." Qrow closed the door behind him and for a moment his crimson eyes were glowing in the darkness before he flicked the light switch, bathing the room in artificial white light that made Ruby flinch.

"You brought cookies and coffee… is that a good thing?" Finally, Ruby turned from the window, those big, glistening pools of silver staring up at him with fear and apprehension along with the most painful hint of hope.

"No. It's not. Still, figured it would help soften you up so-"

"So I don't turn into a wolf." It wasn't even a question, it was her finishing the inevitable conclusion of what he was getting at. She wasn't allowed to be a wolf, she wasn't allowed to turn. _Aside from Yang and Oobleck, everyone who knows what I am hates the full moon. That hate seeing me turn, they hate seeing me as myself. Dad tries to understand but he wants me to be human. Qrow worked harder than anyone to see if there was some way to fix me. All the teachers but Oobleck and maybe Ozpin just see me as a liability._

"Well, given what happened last time you can't really blame us." He knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear but he also didn't want to be disingenuous, leading her on with false hope. So, he took a seat across from her, putting the tray of warm chocolate chip cookies between them and her mug of hot coffee beside it.

"I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble for you and the other teachers." Her voice had become so cold and devoid of life and her eyes never left her Uncle's for even a moment as she reached for the sweets.

"It was a lot of back and forth, always has been when it comes to you. Port doesn't think you should be here, Glynda is usually advocating for you, guess she wants to see you succeed, you know good 'ol Oobleck, he's got a soft spot for you so. Ozpin usually just listens until everyone else has talked before coming to his conclusion but I know he doesn't like keeping you out of the meetings." Keeping his eyes on his niece, gauging her reactions and watching her heart rate on her watch Qrow grabbed a cookie from the platter, letting the sweet taste wash out the harsh flavor of his whisky.

"What about you?" Ruby took a sip of her coffee, the hot drink warming her up from within almost bringing a smile her her expressionless face.

"Look, I know you want to be a huntress just like your mom, Tai and me, it runs in your family and I think you could have been great… if you were human." Those last four words hit Ruby like the snapping of teeth into her heart, even as she tried to keep all her emotions on ice, Qrow could see her flinch.

"I care about you kid, but I've known you since you were born and even back then, after that very first full moon after Summer brought you home from the hospital, you've always been more wolf than girl." He finished off his cookie, the stress and bitter memories that forced their way back into the forefront of his mind compelled him to pull his flask from his side and numb them back down with a swig of the good stuff.

"I remember your mom having a hard time feeding you because you would keep turning into a puppy. We had a lot of questions back then, most of them we still don't have any answers to. For a while your mom was afraid you'd have the life expectancy of a wolf considering how fast you grew but here you are, eighteen years old and both versions of you seem just fine. We just learned to live with it, working around with like you would with any kid who had… unusual needs." Even he knew he sounded like an asshole but even so, Ruby was still looking at him with eyes as cold as liquid helium, just listening.

"This isn't Patch, this isn't Signal. This is Beacon and you're expected to put your life on the line to make the world safer. You can't even handle your emotions, you can't let yourself get hurt or scared or stressed or excited. I know this is going to hurt to hear but… you just don't belong here. Beacon is no place for a wolf." With a sigh Qrow leaned back in his chair, screwing on the cap to his flask as the tension rose in his chest, his gaze flitting between his niece and the door behind her.

"Is that the conclusion the meeting came to?" She asked so simply and monotonously but the dull sadness of depression weighed down every syllable while her heart felt like it was flooding with ice water.

"You lost control and bit someone, broke two ribs and cracked a third. You're lucky she isn't pressing charges and has denied to even make a statement on what happened. If she had… this conversation would be a lot different." He leaned forward towards the wolf in human skin before him, clasping his hands together as he looked deep into her eyes.

"You and your team are suspended from missions for the next two months. You will starting night classes tomorrow for the rest of your time here at Beacon. You won't be attending Professor Port's classes anymore so no more Grimm studies. Your curriculum for combat classes will be one on one with Glynda, be sure to thank her for that, she volunteered for it, she didn't have to. Oobleck also volunteered to fill in your missing Grimm Studies by making you his assistant. Your team will also be starting an in house suspension for the three weeks beginning on the day of the Perigee three days from now, that means you can't leave campus until we've had enough time to evaluate what impact it will have on you." It had taken over a week to come up with all the conditions and stipulations, even with how bad it sounded, the relief in Ruby's eyes broke his heart… knowing that what he had to say next… _Will probably hurt so much that she'll turn. If she does though, then it just proves this isn't the place for her._

"I understand… I'll try to do better. I just need to get control and everything will be-"

"Don't." His voice was strained with heartache as he shook his head, his black bangs partially obscuring his crimson eyes that couldn't bare to look at the hopeful and earnest wolf before him.

"There's one last thing and… it's gonna hurt." His hands gripped together tighter, even shaking as he forced himself to look at his niece. _I owe her at least that much._

"W-what is it?" Fear… the hardness in her voice finally broke from fear and with that Qrow knew she was a pin drop away from turning.

"Unless a miracle happens… this will be your last year at Beacon. You will be expelled when spring comes, giving us enough time to find someone to fill your place in your team. Switching you to night classes will help give your team time to slowly get accustomed to their new leader before you go so your team doesn't suffer from your expulsion. That was Ozpin's decision and almost all of us agreed. I'm sorry." He never wanted this, he never wanted any of this for her. _But she's a wolf… she would be better off being free. Yang, I know you asked us to give her more of a chance after you gave your side of what happened, but even you said that you thought she would better off away from here._

"I understand. Thank you for not letting my team suffer for my failure." There was nothing in her voice, her eyes were dead and her expression as devoid of feeling as her crystalline heart. She hadn't turned into a wolf… she shut down. Her soul snuffed out under her own will. She may not have turned into a wolf… but she wasn't Ruby anymore.

"I have to report this to my team. Excuse me." Without another word or any hint of feeling Ruby gave a respectful nod before standing up… and walking away towards the door.

"Don't tell them about your expulsion yet. We want to have everything in order first." He didn't want to give any reassurance for fear that it might break her fragile state of mind. If she turned into a wolf there and then… _She'll be expelled immediately._

"Understood." She never turned back around to face him as she turned the doorknob and left him alone in that room, the sound of the door shutting behind her all the filled the silence until it too faded to nothing.

Everything was gone, she wasn't angry or depressed or even sad, Ruby was simply numb. She had locked everything away and her inner wolf that was clawing to get out earlier was now snuffed out with frost. She was like a ghost, a pale specter that walk down the halls without feeling as she made her way back to her dorm, her mind to jumbled and iced out to even form coherent thoughts and all of her focus going to keeping up the cold so her feelings didn't come back.

She nearly bypassed her own dorm room in her stupor and even when she reached out for the handle… she hesitated. For the first a feeling, many feelings, came to light in her eyes; guilt and fear being the most potent of them all. She looked down at her watch, repeating her breathing and focus exercises to slow it down just a little bit more… before turning her blood to liquid nitrogen, and opening the door.

"Ruby!" Yang hopped down from her bed, her fretful look turning to hope only to be quashed in the next instant by the frigid and broken visage of her sister as she walked into their room.

"So? How badly did you manage to screw up this time?" Weiss glared at her, leaning against a wall meters away with her arms over her chest.

"You don't look well… was it that bad?" Blake big amber eyes looked up to her leader as she stood in her pajamas like the rest of the team minus Ruby.

"We've been suspended from missions for two months. We are also under in house suspension for the next three weeks. Lastly, I will be moved to night classes with Yang effective tomorrow." She felt nothing, not even as she watched Weiss start walking towards her from her periphery.

"What you're saying is that because you and you alone ruined the easiest possible mission, the rest of us are getting punished for your ineptitude!?" Weiss was barely holding her voice below screaming as her rage overcame both her reason and instincts to be weary of the wolf.

"Yes. I am sorry Weiss. The responsibility should fall on me and me alone." Weiss was less than arm's length away now and her burning blue eyes started with pure disdain into Ruby's dull silvers.

"And yet here we are. You don't belong here, you never try to put any effort into anything! You're lazy, you're weak, you're-"

"Back off!" A powerful and sudden very hot hand grabbed Weiss' shoulder from behind as a wave of heat radiated through the room powered by an intense yellow glow. With nearly zero effort Yang spun the heiress around away from their leader and towards her.

"L-let go of me!" Weiss took a defiant step forward, pushing Yang as hard as she could but entirely failing to make her move even a millimeter. They were both formidable in combat and Weiss definitely had more skill but without their weapons, she didn't stand a chance against Yang.

"Yang, that's enough." Ruby's emotionless command made the two girls instantly freeze, Yang looking to her alpha with surprise and anger.

"But she-"

"I said enough. I won't have my pa- my team, fighting each other like this." A hard glare from Ruby was all it took to force Yang's crimson eyes to lilac, the authority of her leader compelling the blonde to let Weiss go despite her own feelings.

"Thank you." For just a fraction of a second, and only in the instant Yang and Ruby's eyes met when no one else could see… Ruby gave a small but genuine smile.

"Yeah… guess it wouldn't help anyway." With one more sigh Yang let go of the last of her anger while Weiss got a safe distance from the sisters.

"I'm going to go for a walk, the in-house suspension doesn't start until three days from now, the day of the lunar Perigee." Ruby glanced around the room, gauging their reactions. Yang looked far more worried than she did before, Blake seemed to want to say something but held her tongue, meanwhile, Weiss scowled and glared, her hatred for the seemingly incompetent leader only growing more intense.

"You shouldn't be alone right now." As protective as ever the elder sister stepped forward, offering her company to her obviously hurting little sister… but Ruby just shook her head in response.

"You have classes tonight. I'll be okay. The rest of you should get some sleep, I won't be seeing you in class tomorrow but we should all still do our best despite this. I'll try to do better… I'm sorry I let you all down." She could feel herself breaking, the ice was beginning to give under the force of the sea of emotions she was suppressing.

"'You sure?" With a frown, Yang resigned to her leader, knowing full well that her skipping out on classes would only make things worse for their entire team, especially Ruby who was responsible for her.

"I'm sure. I'll be back later, maybe in the morning." Ruby's eyes lingered in her sister's for a moment as the real meaning of her words was known only to them in that moment. She would turn into a wolf. It wasn't a question, it was inevitable even she couldn't contain all the things she was feeling much longer. "Good night."

With a soft release of breath that let out just the most minuscule fraction of her sorrow she turned around, pulling open a drawer on the dresser against the wall where she grabbed her hoodie before shakily opening the door… and running out again, never once feeling Weiss' hate let up. _She's not wrong… her anger isn't unjustified. This is all my fault. I can't protect my pack… what good am I?!_

"Ms. Rose." A soft and deeply compassionate voice took her from her thoughts just as her eyes began to cloud. She looked up to see the empathetic face and green hair that she had come to associate with her best friend.

"Doctor Oobleck. I- I didn't see you there." She tried, she fought with every ounce of will she had to force bad her feelings and freeze her tears. It was hard, it hurt more than any physical pain she could recall… but she did it.

"I'm so sorry Ruby. I know that was never what you wanted and you were only acting as a good Alpha given what you and your sister told us. I don't know if it's fair or the right decision, but it is what was decided." Oobleck shook his head sorrowfully, his thermos in one hand and his other resting at his side. "Come, we should speak elsewhere so your team can get some rest."

"Yeah…" With a nod, Ruby followed, giving a quick glance back at her door, smelling the air where she could still detect their unique scents. _When a pack lives together, our scents are supposed to change, it becomes closer just by being a unit. Team RWBY… doesn't have that. Is it because they're human and faunus instead of wolf… or is it my fault?_

"It must be taking immense restraint to stay as you are. It's admirable but are you really allowing yourself to process what has transpired?" He already knew that she wasn't, if she was, she wouldn't be human anymore.

"I understand the decision. I'm just sorry my team had to suffer because of what I did." Ruby knew she was evading the real question but she wasn't ready to confront her feelings yet, even ignoring the fact that she would turn into a giant wolf… _I just can't believe it's over. Just like that._

"You know that no one blames you or has any resentment towards you for being the way you are. No one gets to choose how they're born. Not man nor faunus nor wolf, or anything in between." Oobleck couldn't begin to imagine how to comfort someone who had just lost the most important thing to them, a dream that pushed a little girl to beat herself into a perfect state of suppression and control at the cost of who she was.

"I know." Her voice was so soft and light, her entire visage was like the most fragile snowflake imaginable, cold and could fall to pieces at any moment, even as her dull eyes stared forward while the pair descended the stairs. She looked like a doll in the dim, artificial light, with an expressionless face painted.

"I know your dream was to become a Huntress like your mother, but Summer loved you very much. As a human and a wolf. She wanted you to be happy, that's all that mattered to her." He stepped out in front, opening up the door the led outside the dorms to the campus grounds outside, a rush of cool night air flowing in from outside.

"I know…" That drew out something. It wasn't much, but the weak strain of pain and sadness stressed her breathy words as her jaw clenched down tight, biting back the anguish in her heart.

"Are you happy here? Would Summer be happy to see what being here does to you? These are questions you must ask yourself and honestly decide if you truly want to make yourself go through this for the rest of the year. I would recommend contemplating such things as a wolf where you don't need to fear holding back your emotions." The two walked outside under the clear sky, the light pollution from the city however obscured all but the moon and brightest star.

"You think I should drop out too?" She looked up at him, her eyes softened ever so slightly, an emotion so subtle in them that he couldn't be sure what it was elevated her expression from the ice she had wore. _First Yang and now Oobleck. I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about it… honestly, I've been thinking about it a lot. Still, if I leave, then what? What would I do? Who would I be? What direction would my life have? This is all I've had since Mom died, I lose this then- then what really be living for? I'll lose the only things I have left. I can't be alone, I can't be without a pack, but without my team… who would be in a pack with a wolf like me?_

"I think it's an option you should consider with an open mind." They came to a stop as the night breeze washed over them, Ruby looked to the perfectly maintained grass at her feet while Oobleck stood beside her, staring forward, his hand coming gently and reassuringly to rest on her shoulder, knowing that she was going through so much in that moment.

"The only way to find out is to keep moving forward. I have confidence that you will find the right path." He gripped her shoulder just a little tighter and smiled, feeling in his heart that she would be okay. _After all, she is without a doubt one of the strongest people I know._

"In the meantime, I believe you have a visitor Ms. Rose." Instantly her sounded back to his energetic self with a hint of playful amusement thrown in. The sudden shift jarring Ruby from her downward spiral as she looked up with an eyebrow raised in confusion, following his forward gaze until her jaw dropped.

"Verna!?" Ruby blurted out, her surprise overwhelming everything else as she looked up at that bright smile and paint stained top as the artist waved happily at her.

"Hey Ruby, been a while!" Verna was giggling unapologetically at the stunned and bemused look on her 'friend's' face as she walked up to them.

"We found Ms. Tranquous sneaking onto campus. When caught she told us who she was and that she wanted to talk to you." Even as Oobleck spoke Ruby just stood there dumbstruck, entirely unsure of what to say or how to react.

"Hey, mind if I talk to Ruby alone for a bit?" With a big, pleading grin Verna turned her big apricot eyes to the teacher, making herself look as innocent as possible.

"Would you be comfortable with that Ms. Rose, or would you rather I stay?" He was at least happy to see Ruby's icy facade broken by the unexpected visitor and even he had to admit that the look on her face was rather amusing.

"Um… I guess I don't mind?" Ruby shook her head slightly, trying to get it to catch up with the weird reality. "I'll talk to you later Dr. Oobleck."

"Very well then Ms. Rose! I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow evening!" With a satisfied smile, Oobleck turned around to take his leave, feeling that closure on the incident that lead to the end of Ruby's dream would help her be able to think about the future more clearly.

"Thanks bunches teach!" Verna called out exuberantly, waving goodbye to him with exaggerated movements of her arm before a wince of pain radiating from her wounded side abruptly ended that. Still, even that it only made her giggle more.

"Doctor…" Oobleck growled under his breath before walking away back to the dorms.

"He seems weird, didn't think there would be cool teachers here. Kinda figured they'd all be boring. Well, just another reason I'm glad I came." She tenderly held her injured side while her other arm rested comfortably down.

"Verna what are you doing here? How did you get here? Didn't we send you to jail? Shouldn't you be in the hospital at least?!" Her thoughts were still a jumble but now instead of the raging storm of pain and fear it was just bewilderment and surprise.

"Hah-hah! Nice of you to worry about me, yeah, I probably should still be in the hospital but there's just no creative energy there so I left to find my spark." That last word seemed to have far more meaning that Ruby knew as Verna tilted her head back slightly, taking a long look at the girl before her with an almost devious smirk.

"W-well what about the police?" Ruby somehow felt like even though she was getting answers, she was still talking to a brick wall.

"I told you I would walk, don't tell anyone but I've been sitting on a get-out-of-jail-free card for a while, someone owed me one so I got out. I think they had me in cuffs for maybe five hours? Seriously though, don't tell anyone, they're a friend of mine and they're a really good guy so please don't tell anyone!" Her smile was instantly replaced with a begging look as she held her side just a little tighter.

"I won't, I promise." Ruby had no way of finding out who that person was and didn't have any interest in outing them but for some reason her voice was earnest and true, trying her best to reassure the eccentric young woman.

"Thanks, sorry but you know who I am, anonymity is really important to me and a lot of other people. Some secrets are supposed to be kept and only shared by those who are at the center of them." Verna slowly pulled her hand away from her side, showing the punctures in her top and the bandages underneath where Ruby had bit.

"I feel like I was accidentally let in on one of those secrets last time we met." Her expression was soft and subtle, a wistful kind of remorse that was concentrated in her shimmering eyes, beaming her sincerest apology just with a long look into the wolf girl's silver gaze.

"Turning into a wolf… that was more than just a Semblance wasn't it? I'm not trying to pry… okay, I kinda am but I'm really curious so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Anyway, why else would your sister and uncle try to hide you from your teammates and the cops before they came and got me?" Verna understood the value of secrets better than most. _Anonymity is powerful and invaluable… but it's also hard and isolating if it's how you always have to live._

"I…" Ruby froze, staring at the artist, the first person in the world who knew her secret besides her family and the Beacon faculty. In a moment that seemed to stretch for eternity, Ruby felt like she was standing at a threshold to something… but she didn't know what.

 _Should I tell her? I've been keeping this secret all my life. I've been so careful every moment for as long as I can remember, only letting myself be free during a full moon… until last week. Still, I- I…_

"If you- if you really want to know, would you come into the forest with me first. There's some things that I- I want to say, if you'll listen…" Her heart was beating faster and faster, her mind was playing out every way things could go wrong as she stared at Verna waiting for her to answer.

"I'd love to listen and if it makes it easier, we can exchange stories, might be awkward to have only one of us pouring our hearts out. If not I don't mind, not trying to steal the stage from you." A shrug and a giggling grin, that's how she crushed Ruby's fear and nervousness without even knowing it.

"I can try but I don't know how much I'll be able to listen once I… you know…" Ruby was feeling something she never expected, something she hadn't really felt in a long time… _Why do I feel so embarrassed right now?_

"Well, whatever makes it easier for you, I don't mind either way. Come on, let's get going to the forest." Once again Verna's disregard for things that should have been a big deal left Ruby feeling floored. She expected fear, especially after what happened but she treated it like it was something merely interesting she wanted to know more about. No judgement or nervousness, just an undertone of playful enthusiasm and hidden conviction that seemed to permeate through everything Verna did.

"It's a bit of a walk but I know the way." Ruby didn't even notice but she was smiling, however slight, she was happy despite everything else. _Yang's right… this girl is crazy, but she's also nice. I think I can vent, just this once, after the night I've had, I really need that._

Ruby and her strange companion walked down the long path to the Emerald Forest. The wolf girl trying to keep her emotions on ice but the nature and random bouts of conversation from Verna kept pulling her back. She didn't actually mind, most of the time when Yang brought her down to the forest she was already a wolf so this was a change of pace and she wasn't hating it.

"Oh, and by the way, after I broke out of the hospital-"

"Wait, you broke out? Why?" Ruby looked to her side to see Verna stifling a snort of laughter.

"Nah, I was just seeing if you were still paying attention. I mean, I kinda ran away without doing any paperwork but that stuff can't be too important right?" A wide grin pulled at her lips showing rows of perfect white teeth.

"So the police let you walk free and clear and the next thing you do is run away from the hospital and trespass on Beacon in the middle of the night?" It sounded crazy to Ruby but the artist just hummed a bobbed her head back and forth for a moment.

"I'm not confessing to anything!" She did her best to force her face into a look of defensive mistrust but the whole time Ruby could see her lips fighting not to be pulled back up. "No, but seriously, before I forget there was something I saw and I wanted to show you."

"What's that?" The young wolf already had the suspicion that her new companion would always leave her guessing. _Maybe she's just so hard to figure out because she's the exact opposite of me. Completely unrestrained._

"Have you ever been to the zoo here in Vale? Once I left the hospital a flyer caught my eye, apparently they have a wolf there that's the last of his kind. I was going to go see him on my own if I couldn't find you but since I did find you I was thinking we could go together tomorrow." Verna put her hands in her the pockets of her daisy-dukes, her spray paint cans right behind her holstered to her belt.

"The last of his kind…" Ruby's expression was still subdued but a deeply painful empathy washed over her and bled out into her soft voice. _Locked in a cage. I don't know if I could handle seeing that. Then again, maybe he's happier there? Maybe he could give me the strength I need to keep going despite being locked in a cage of my own._

"Ruby? You okay?" No matter how cold she looked on the exterior it wasn't hard to see that something was weighing heavily on her heart.

"Did you know that wolves were hunted to extinction here in Vale to protect the farmers? Even on Patch, the island I grew up on, there's not a single wolf left. So I've never seen one outside of pictures and videos." Ruby looked up to the moon, its cool, gentle glow shining off of her pure silver eyes, giving them a depth and luster that Verna couldn't help but lose herself in.

"My mom once said that maybe I'm the result of that, the land that lost its wolves trying to reclaim them, or that I'm a reincarnation of those wolves trying to survive in a human world. My uncle Qrow thinks that maybe my soul is just accidentally that of a wolf, like an aura mutation. Doctor Oobleck hypothesized that I may very well be the first of my kind…" It was always a guessing game, everyone close to her had their own ideas. All she knew was that for whatever reason… _This is how I am._

"So you really are… that, what you were in the alley. It wasn't just a Semblance but you really are a wolf?" As in awe as Verna was, she still couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disbelief, even having seen it with her own eyes, having felt its fangs in her own flesh, having touched its fur with her own hand, it was all so ephemeral and surreal at the time.

"It's complicated but before I go any further," Ruby stopped at the threshold to the expansive forest, just one step away from her refuge, her bastion of freedom. She could feel her nerves tingling as the trees called to her from every direction, her body brimming with anticipation while her heart was near bursting with the painful emotions she had been holding back.

"I'm sorry for biting you." She turned her cold silver eyes to Verna who stood with her at the entrance to the forest, looking back to Ruby with patience and compassion as she waited for the wolf to say what she needed to say.

"My fangs can bite through aura and I don't really know my own strength. You were threatening Yang, she's a member of my team, my pack, and she's my sister. I've held it together my entire life, only letting myself turn on full moons when I couldn't resist. I'm sorry I hurt you." She could tell that Verna was in pain, even after a week Ruby could smell the wound at her side as it healed. Even after a week, the smell of her blood was still so fresh in her mind.

"I'm not." She said it so simply, her smile soft and light as she walked up to Ruby, standing less than an arm's length away, gently putting her hand on her injured side. "I've been having… I don't know, I guess artist's block. None of my works feel right, they don't feel like me, I feel like I'm losing my passion and that scares me. Then, when we were in that alley and when you transformed, I felt it, I felt the spark of inspiration. When you attacked me, when you bit me and wouldn't let go, it was raw, primal power, pure and natural and uncompromising, instinct and action that I was helpless against. Then, when I asked you to let me touch your fur and you allowed me to, I felt warmth and tenderness, something soft that took nothing away from the power just underneath but added depth and texture, added something more, something I don't have a word to describe. Everything you had was what I wanted for my art and I felt my spark. I felt creatively reinvigorated!"

Verna was beaming, taking a long, deep breath of the forest air with outstretched arms, basking in the unparalleled feeling of pure creativity flowing through her veins recalling every moment she could of her first encounter with Ruby. Even the pain in her side drove her mind to conceptualize so many ideas, so many things she wanted to try, she felt a creative flow now like the mightiest river when before she struggled to salvage a few drops.

"So in reality Ruby, I'm should say; thank you for biting me." A soft blush tinted her cheeks as she grinned, rubbing the back of her head with one hand while her other went back to holding her side. All while Ruby just stared at her in awe.

"I- I don't know what to say honestly… I've been so scared this entire time and you just show up thanking me?" A smile broke on her face and just once, a snort of laughter escaped her… before she reflexively iced herself over, and the smile faded away.

"Heh-heh, no need to hold yourself back, I think it's pretty funny too!" A soft and jovial giggle filled the autumn air, imagining just how strange she must seem. _And I was scared she'd think I was weird or creepy coming all the way out here to see her._

"It's not that… I just- okay, so can I tell you the things I wanted to tell you? Things I haven't really been able to say before because of what I am?" It was something she'd given up on wishing for. Her dream came first, it came before venting, it came before dealing with her stress, it came before friendship and even her freedom, she had just the full moon, and every other moment was dedicated to her dream. _But now… I'm getting expelled anyway. My dream has come to an end. Maybe… I can let myself express my feelings on that._

"Well, you listened to me so it's only fair, besides, this seems like something you really wanna get off your chest so I'm all ears." She blinked with a smile, keeping quiet from there, giving Ruby however long she needed to gather her nerve.

"My name is Ruby Rose and I am a wolf." Her identity was always a complicated and confusing thing, or at least it seemed like it. She never told her family or the teachers or anyone else, but now, just once, talking to Verna, she could admit that what she felt. _I am a wolf!_

"I look like a human most of the time, but I'm really a wolf. On full moons I stop looking like a girl and start looking like myself. However, if I let myself, I would look like a wolf most of the time. Excitement, happiness, fear, anger, pain, stress, frustration, sadness, depression, loneliness, any strong feeling will turn me into a wolf so ever since I was little I've kept myself under perfect control. This, this isn't me, I'm not this cold person who feels nothing, but if I don't keep myself like this then I turn and- and a wolf can't be Huntress… I can't- I just wanted to be like my mom… but- but-"

Just as she was about to crumble… a warmth enveloped her. Something tight and caring, something that wrapped around her from her front, pulling her in close with all its strength as the scent of paint hung in the air. Ruby didn't even realize it in the first moment, her eyes were too blurred by tears, but as she looked down to see a head of pale pink hair and tanned skin that absorbed a fraction of the moonlight that fell on it, she realized that the warmth and pressure she was feeling, was the tight embrace of Verna whose head rested on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby." Verna held right just a little closer, her own voice sounding as though she were on the brink of tears herself. "I couldn't do it, I couldn't be caged like that all the time. I couldn't handle it when others were doing it to me, I can't even imagine what it's like doing it to yourself. Still, I know what it's like, not being allowed to be who you are and I am so, so sorry that you had to live that way."

"Verna…" Ruby's eyes were struck wide by the gesture of kindness and compassion, and embrace so warm… that it melted the ice holding her together.

"I- I need to change into a wolf now. Can you turn around? I don't want to destroy my clothes again." She hated that they had to part… but she couldn't even receive such a comforting touch as a human. No, only as a wolf could she feel anything intense.

"Oh! Right, probably a good idea." Her blush deepened as she pulled away, spinning on her heel until she was facing away from the wolf, hearing a soft giggle at her flustered look that Ruby didn't seem to miss. She could hear Ruby disrobing, carelessly discarding her clothes to the ground one by one.

Finally, Ruby stood naked in the forest, looking at the wilderness around her and feeling the cool wind wrapping around the contours of her body. She closed her eyes as tears began streaming down her cheeks, the wolf in human skin took in a long, deep breath and then…

"Aawoooooooooooo!" The entire forest shook and even the wind came to cease as her howling voice washed over the woods and split the air. Verna could feel the howl rumbling through her body and ringing in her ears, the power and the dominance of the wolf's call sending chills of fear and reverence though her skin before she even turned around.

"You are a wolf…" Verna was holding her breath, she was frozen, staring into the forest while feeling the wolf's eyes on her back. Her heart was pounding and she felt the power of nature ring in that cry.

Then… a soft, cold and wet nose prodded her hand, nestling itself in her palm before a hot tongue gently licked at her salty skin while a sad and pitiful whine emanated from Ruby's throat.

When Verna turned to face Ruby, she found those still stunning silver eyes shimmering with tears, the ears atop her head were dropped and her tail rested limply on the ground, weakly trying to wag before giving up and lying motionless. Everything about the large wolf's posture said only one thing… _She's hurting._

"If living as a human is so painful for you… why don't you run away? It's what I did." The artist cautiously sat herself down against a tree and Ruby followed, laying head down in Verna's lap, all the while, she whined and cried as her friend gently petted her.

 _Run away? I have my pack… but they would all be better off without me. After all… a wolf can never be a Huntress._

Wolf and girl sat there, at the edge of the forest, Verna stroking Ruby's soft but warm fur while the wolf cried for hours more. Her heart ached and for once she embraced it, all the hurt and sorrow, taking it all in... and letting it all out.


	5. Perigee: Part 2

"So, you told her everything?" Yang sounded wary at best, her golden brows furrowed and her eyes dubious as she and her little sister walked down the streets of Vale. This wasn't how she planned to spend her mid afternoon, cutting her sleep a little short but Ruby said it was important. _Plus, I wanna take advantage of our time before we're put on in house suspension._

"Yeah, she's so weird, she didn't freak out or anything. I could tell by smelling her that she was afraid but still she just sat down and petted me. Honestly… it made me really happy even though I was crying all night. I've never been able to have a real friend before." Friends, relationships, romantic or otherwise outside the barest of intimacies like she had with half her team, these were things she had long since abandoned. _After all, humans and faunus have no place in a wolf's pack… or so I thought. Still, it seems like Verna really doesn't care that I'm a wolf._

"You sure you can trust her though? I mean, she's technically a criminal and more importantly she seems kinda… crazy." Yang still clearly remembered her first encounter with the petite artist. _And I'm still washing the paint out of my favorite top._

"My instincts tell me I can trust her. I couldn't smell or feel any deception or hidden agenda, I think she just wants to be friends. I don't know why but I do know that she empathized deeply with me having to beat myself into perfect control all the time. I don't know anything else about her but I'm pretty sure that she understands at least a part of what I'm going through." Ruby was so in distress the night before, crying and howling, her head resting in Verna's lap while her friend gently petted her, she even vaguely remember the artist signing a comforting song to her at some point in the night.

"If you say so then I guess it's fine, you know I just worry about you." A big sister would normally be thrilled that her little sister made real friend for the first time. However, Ruby was anything but normal and Yang still loved her, protecting Ruby and her secret was a full time job that she structured her life around since she was little.

"I know you're always looking out for me, I'd never hold it against you." Ruby smiled, as always it was small and subdued, but still, a smile nonetheless. _After, every Alpha needs a supportive Beta, someone they can trust with their lives and always count on. As long as I've had you, I've always had a pack, even if it was just us sisters._

"Well, I trust your instincts so if you accept her I guess I do too. Besides, the only people we've been hanging out with at all is our team and Weiss' bad attitude, your coldness and Blake's quietness, Verna is a nice change of pace for both of us." She had to admit that the eccentric artist was something of a breath of fresh air.

"I'm sorry I have to be this way… it won't be a problem for our team much longer." Those last words were all spoken as a whisper under her breath barely more audible than silence. She could feel herself clawing at the ice encasing her heart as it aches for just a moment with a powerful sorrow. _Oobleck and Qrow said I can't tell my team… that means Yang won't know until I'm already gone. They're taking away my sister and my Beta… what am I supposed to do without her?_

"You say something Sis?" Yang looked down casually at her sister, her arms raised up and interlocked behind her head as they meandered down the sidewalk, Ruby's doll like, expressionless face giving no hints as to the pain and fear that were welling up in her heart.

"No, it's nothing. Hey, there's Verna now." With a small nod of her head Ruby gestured forward, prompting Yang to look up to see the bright smile of the artist as she waved them down while weaving between her fellow pedestrians and holding onto an oversized white sun hat with a apricot colored ribbon to match her eyes tied around its top.

"Hey Ruby! Yang, glad you decided to come too! Hey, your eyes are lilac again! Really pretty too but I loved the passion in them when they were crimson!" Boundless enthusiasm and a shining smile as she looked from sister to sister rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands behind her back.

"Um… thanks? It's part of my Semblance, it only happens when I'm angry." The elder sister looked away uncomfortably under the intense gaze of the artist.

"Nice! My Semblance is that I can impart my aura into my paint, I can sense through it even from far away, it's how I knew you were coming when we first met. Ooh, and if I mix Dust with my paint I can activate the Dust remotely too, pretty cool huh!?" Her eyes just sparkled as she spoke while a warm breeze flowed through her loose white top, one hand shooting up from her back to hold onto her hat.

"Not so neat when I'm still washing your Semblance out of my clothes." Yang smirked, playfully chiding their new friend who just smiled bashfully and blushed, pulling down her hat over her face like she could hide from Yang that way

"Wow, so being an artist really is at your core then. No wonder you have so much passion for it." Ruby's smile returned however restrained, just being around Verna seemed to improve her mood. Still, that only meant that she had to be more careful, more aware, because even with a friend who knew her secret, she couldn't let herself turn, not when they were in public.

"I've been painting as long as I can remember, my parents got me into it but they only wanted me to paint boring things and always scolded me about getting paint anywhere but on the canvas. Pshh, art is messy! It's fun! It's free! Like I was ever gonna let myself be constrained like that." Verna's chest puffed out with boastful pride and her fists came down her hips as she struck a triumphant pose.

"Sounds like you always had trouble with being told what to do." Yang's words were light hearted and amiable but deep down she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. _She doesn't like being told what to do but I get the feeling Ruby is already sizing her up to be part of her pack. Verna doesn't listen to authority, not even her own parents it seems, so would she ever take Ruby seriously as an Alpha? Then again, I doubt anyone else has ever displayed their dominance by biting her and breaking a few ribs in the process._

"Don't get me wrong I love my parents, they always just liked having things their way, they put so much pride in their name and how people saw them and they expected me to be the same. It was never right for me… so I ran away a few years ago and never looked back. I've never regretted it." Her tone changed as she spoke of running away, softer and with more gravity, her deep and understanding eyes falling solely on Ruby's and after a moment, both sisters grasped the implication.

"It's different… you've always known what you want who you are." Ruby's dulled silver eyes lowered to the pavement and a wistful smile pulled weakly at her lips.

"You seemed pretty sure of who you are last night. I think you're scared and that's okay but don't let fear ever change who you are, it's not worth it I promise." The tonal shifts Verna was capable of were jarring for Ruby but she knew that her friend really was just looking out for her, seeing something of herself in that lost wolf that she wanted to save.

"Hey, we don't need to deal with this kinda stuff right now, let's just try to have a good day." Yang could appreciate what Verna was trying to do but the last thing Ruby needed was the added stress. _Even if I do agree with her. Ruby should just leave, I hate watching her slowly kill herself every day just to become a Huntress. She's a wolf… she should be free._

"Sorry, you're right, I just don't like seeing you look so cold Ruby." She frowned looking pleadingly at her new friend even knowing there was nothing any of them could do to warm up her heart in as things were.

"It makes me happy that you both worry about me… more than I can express, but I've been doing this my entire life. I'm okay, I promise." The smile she gave was barely reassuring with how broken it looked, but all Yang and Verna could do was resign themselves to the reality of the situation for the moment.

"For now, would you guys mind filling me in on what we're doing today? Kinda cutting into my beauty sleepy but this little pup over here insisted that it was important even though she wouldn't tell me anything until we met up with you." Yang nudge her sister playfully with her elbow, drawing yet another small grin to that cold face.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Well, like I told Ruby last night, the Vale Zoo has a wolf on exhibit, the near extinct Aries Wolf, apparently some experts are saying that he's the last of his kind." Even as Verna spoke she could practically feel Ruby sadness and heartbreak rising.

"Whoa! Sis, I get why this would be important to you but I think this is a really bad idea." Yang didn't need more than a second to imagine what would be a normal day at the zoo for anyone else going tragically wrong for them.

"I know but this is something I have to see." Those hard and cold pools of silver looked to Yang, burning with a powerful and unstoppable conviction. "I asked you to come because if there's any chance of me being able to handle this it's with you by my side."

"For the record, I think this is a bad idea." There was no version of this that ended well in Yang's mind. _Best case scenario, the wolf is happy and she uses that as justification for staying in Beacon. Worst case… I don't even wanna think about it._

"Thank you Yang." For a just moment, Ruby let down her walls of ice, giving her sister a look of pure gratitude and love, unhindered and genuine.

"Ugh, what am I going to do with you?" Yang shook her head in feigned vexation, sighing as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. _I may be her big sister but she'll always be my Alpha._

"Follow, me, because that's where I need you." Her smile grew so bright and childlike… only to snap back with a devastating cold as Ruby felt her true self begging to come out. The sudden break in Ruby's demeanor caused both Yang and Verna to exchange sad and worried looks.

"Come on, the zoo isn't far." With a long, steady release of breath Ruby walked past her sister and her friend, stoic and unfeeling as she kept her eyes forward, she could see the massive structure ahead of them, the Zoo that housed many exotic species of animal that she had never seen before. Still, as Ruby walked at a hurried pace with her small pack behind her, she couldn't help but think… _Oobleck says I may be the first of my kind, what Zoo wouldn't love to have a wolf like me. Scientists I'm sure would love to study me from a bunch of different fields. It's one of the reasons it's so dangerous, if people find out that a wolf like me is among them._

The trio made their way across the busy highway, Yang as protective as ever walking between her sister and the impatiently waiting traffic while Verna kept a comfortable pace behind them, her smile never fading as she watched Yang diligently protect Ruby. Beyond that getting into the Zoo just a matter of navigating the throngs of visitors and having their Lien for admissions. Once inside, things became a little less stressful.

At Ruby's suggestion she the small pack decided to try and have fun before the went to see the wolf. Yang and Verna happily agreed and the three went to exhibit after exhibit and after a short time even Ruby found herself enthralled by the breadth of creatures nature could produce. Strange birds with more colors than Ruby had ever seen, adorable and playful seals that swam about in the aquarium only an exhibit away from the truly massive white whale. Snakes as long as a car and turtles that have been alive since before the Great War. Ruby even surprised her pack with ice cream, her treat which they all enjoyed as they strolled through beautiful botanical gardens, Verna commenting on the entire way on the aesthetics and colors and how inspiring it was for her art while Yang just laughed at how weird some looked and got a kick out of some of the impossible to pronounce names.

All in all, Ruby had smiled a lot more than she meant to, and her pack noticed, smiling even more right along with her. _This is the most alive I've seen her in a long time, at least outside of a full moon night. Verna has been good for her, it seems like she's more comfortable, letting down her ice just a little bit. Being accepted by someone she cares about helps, everyone who knows her secret has known about it for her entire life. The teachers at Beacon included. It's not an exaggeration to say that Verna is the first friend Ruby has ever had. What's even better is that Verna seems to be fine with the structure of a pack, she's deferred to Ruby for everything and goes along with her decisions. Maybe all Ruby really needs is a pack that accepts her, both as Alpha and as the kind of wolf she is._

"Hey, Verna, can I talk to you for a second?" Yang pulled the smaller woman aside with a slightly hushed voice while their Alpha gawked at a particularly interesting endangered species of elk. _I hope she's not thinking about eating it… oh who am I kidding, of course she's thinking about eating it._

"Hey Yang, what's up?" She smiled way too innocently to not make Yang suspicious before she remembered that her new likely pack mate was technically a career criminal.

"I just wanted to thank you… for not freaking out when you saw Ruby as herself. It might not seem like much to you but she's never had had a friend and I mean never. You get why, she's had to keep everyone at arm's length at least because of what she is. Having a friend like you is doing great things for her I can see it." She was still holding Verna by her wrist, awkwardly keeping eye contact, watching the subtle changes to the artist's expression; first surprise, then the briefest flash of worry… then happiness and satisfaction.

"I like Ruby, she's different but familiar. I want to see her be free, that face is all wrong looking so cold. I understood last night, when she turned into a wolf, that's her real self and she knows it. She was able to cry and express herself and find comfort for whatever was hurting her. I'm happy that I'm good for her but she doesn't need me, what she needs most is to break free." There was no trace of doubt or guessing in her voice, Verna felt it as the truest form of fact, in her heart she knew Ruby needed to be free.

"Yeah… I know." It was always painful to acknowledge, even breaching the subject with Ruby the day they had met Verna was hard. Ruby had but so much into her dream… _but her dream is killing her._

"I have a weird question and I don't really want to ask but for Ruby's sake, I have to." She knew her Alpha would probably be mad at her for what she was about to say… _I'm her beta, she needs me to look out for her, she can snarl at me later if she wants._

"Did you know that wolves need a pack. It's not that they want to be part of a pack, it's a real need, a compulsion to seek a family, a unit that they can live and cooperate with. Even since I was little I've been researching wolves, I mean, no matter what Ruby is still my little sister and I wanted to take care of her, especially after our mom died." She paused there, letting that burst of information soak into Verna, giving her a moment to process what she had just heard.

"You lost your mother?" Her eyes softened with sorrow and empathy as she brushed aside stray strands of her shoulder length, pale pink hair.

"When were were young, yes. She was a Huntress and-"

"And Ruby wants to follow in your mother's footsteps. Now I get why she's so determined despite what it's doing to her." Verna frowned, sparing a glance at Ruby who was still licking her lips as she watched the elk eat its grass, slowly moving further and further from the deadly predator in disguise. That strange wolf suddenly made so much more sense and Verna couldn't shake the urge to walk over and hug her.

"Exactly. Even though as a wolf, she's far happier. Still, no matter how hard she tries to force it down, she is a wolf, and wolves have needs." With a sigh, she released Verna's wrist and brought her arms over her stomach in a sort of self hug while she looked to her sister. "She's the only one of her kind that we know of. There are also no wolves on Patch, where we grew up. So to her, the only thing she had that gave her the comfort and security of a pack was me. Once we came to Beacon though, she took our team as her pack. Problem is, aside from me, no one else on our team knows that she's a wolf. Her pack is broken and honestly, she just can't work as a leader under those conditions. If she leaves, she'll be without her pack and that can't happen."

"Wait… are you asking me to-"

"No. That's not something I can ask you to do. I'm just telling you how Ruby is probably seeing you right now. I've been watching and I can tell she wants you to be part of her pack and if you were I know that would be great for her. Still, you can't make a decision like this for her sake." It was a truth Yang had come to terms with a long time ago; wolves choose their packs. _Ruby can want us in her pack but an Alpha can't make us do it, it's up to the individual wolves to follow her, I may be human but I've already accepted it._

"It's a big decision and you haven't known her for very long at all. Still, I feel like things are changing and she's going to need a pack who will stay by her side through it. It's not something you can choose lightly, she'll give her life for her pack, not just because she's an Alpha but because that's who she is. If you commit to being part of her pack, you may have to make some serious life changes. I've already decided that, no matter what, I'll follow Ruby. I want to be there for her and protect her, and that's why I'm saying all of this… because I don't want you to get her hopes up by accident." It was a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless. "You don't have to decide anything right now, just understand what Ruby sees is different from what we see. You see a friend, she sees so much more. If you aren't ready for a serious commitment, tell her soon. No one will blame you and even though it will hurt her, she'll understand."

"That's… a lot." Verna wasn't speaking to Yang or anyone else, it barely seemed like even she had heard herself speak. Her big, beautiful eyes were wide and shimmering and her hand hand raised up, fidgeting with her hair while her gaze fell far in the distance through Yang.

"Alright, I'm done, the elk caught onto me and ran away, it looked really good too." With an annoyed whine Ruby trudged over to them, feeling her jaw stressed with tension that she couldn't relieve without hunting. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Yang and I were just talking." Yang was almost put off by just how good of a bluff Verna could put on, it was scary how honest and innocent she looked.

"About something that if I heard it, it might make me turn?" Ruby let herself smirk at the surprised look on Verna's face. "Don't worry, I'm used to it, besides, I trust you and knowing Yang, I'm sure she was just talking about what's best for me."

"Wow… those wolf instincts are impressive." Verna grinned slyly, resting her chin between her thumb and index finger looking suspiciously to Yang like she was hatching some kind of evil scheme.

"Thank you, though if this were happening just after a full moon I would have been a a lot more accurate." The wolf shrugged, feigning modesty while still keeping her eyes cool and her voice just above emotionless. "I think it's time. This was the last exhibit and it's getting late…"

"Yeah, we've got classes. Kinda wish we could skip, I'm not really in the mood to go back and listen to Weiss." Yang frustratedly rubbed her palms over her face, pushing up her golden bangs with her fingers. _Plus… I've actually had fun today. That usually doesn't happen outside of full moons when I get to play with Ruby._

"Alright, bummer, I was having a good time. Haven't been to a Zoo since I was six and my parents took me. Um… thanks for coming with me and making a day of it, I was kinda hoping you would but…" Now Verna smiled softly and warmly, nothing like the high intensity smiles she usually wore but something more delicate and precious.

"I'm glad you had fun with us, honestly I've had a really good time too though it might not look like it." Pain, depression, fear, anger, frustration, all of them were easy enough to put on ice, but when she had to freeze away the immense happiness welling up in her heart… it hurt.

"So Thank you, for bringing us here." She was expressionless, cold and her eyes were nearly lifeless as she shut down her her heart. She wanted to turn, to be herself, to jump on her friend and sister and lick them, she wanted to wag her tail and bark and run. Instead… she just turned her blood to liquid nitrogen and froze out her feelings until she was numb.

"Don't mention it. I just thought it might be something you needed, turns out… it was something I needed too." Now her lightly tanned skin face was starting to turn pink from a soft blush tinting her cheeks.

"Oh you two have no idea how bad I wanna say something but it would probably make Ruby turn from embarrassment so I'll keep it to myself." Yang put up her hands disarmingly while smirking a snickering to herself. _Those two need to get a room. Man, if I had said that Ruby definitely would have turned but it would have been hilarious._

"Yang, please don't scare off my friend by saying something weird." The wolf narrowed her eyes at her sister while keeping the rest of her face placid while Verna just snorted a laugh trying to imagine what Yang could have said.

"Hey, I didn't say it did I? I have at least some restraint." She said as she struggled to restrain herself.

"Let's keep moving, before you say something I regret." With a sigh Ruby again took up the lead and once again, the order was the same, Yang close behind and Verna taking up the rear. Yang noticed it but wasn't sure if Verna herself did. Was it her way of telling Ruby that she accepts her place in her pack or was it just coincidence?

 _I hope my talk doesn't scare her off, she's the best thing to happen to Ruby in a long time and I know things have been really hard on her lately. Still, better to be honest with Verna instead of letting her lead Ruby on by accident. What if she decides to stay though? I know it's unlikely but me, Ruby and Verna all in a pack together… doing what? I guess that would be up to our Alpha. I should probably stop getting ahead of myself and-_

"Oh no…"

A hauntingly soft But devastated voice made everyone freeze. Ruby stood as still as the most fragile ice, as though just a whisper would make her fall to pieces. The blood was drained from her face, her pink lips slightly agape, quivering ever so subtly while her horrified eyes pooled with tears as she stared outward through the glass into the enclosure just behind it.

"Ruby what's wrong?!" Yang rushed over with Verna right behind her, both coming to a dead stop right, taking up Ruby's sides and followed her gaze.

A large and majestic wolf with a dark ginger pelt lay atop a rocky outcropping over a pool of water, its deep blue eyes staring at something far in the distance. He was the Aries Wolf known as Aries, for the species he was the sole representative of.

"Oh Ruby…" This was the worst case scenario she was afraid of.

"I don't get it? What's wrong?" Verna squinted at the wolf who was a distance away, something seemed off but she couldn't tell what had made her friend look and sound like that. She opened her mouth, about to repeat herself when a hard and heavy hand slammed into the glass. She flinched as Ruby bared her teeth, her eyes nearly overflowing with tears.

"He- he's skinny… far too skinny. He's not eating. He's as old as I am but his fur has lost its luster, it's matted and dirty, he has no will to care for himself. He's tired but he can't sleep and he's barely drinking enough water. His muscles are fading because never moves, only compounded by the hunger. He's sad… he's so sad. He's all alone in there and he- he's given up!"

 **Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep!**

"Ruby! Sis you have to calm down!" Yang was afraid to touch her, afraid that even something so simple could set her over the edge. Her own heart was pounding as she frantically looked around; everyone was staring at them. _This is bad! If she changes now there's no way that flimsy glass will stop her from getting into the enclosure, Ruby is like ballistic missile as a wolf! Come on! Think of something before-_

"Hey," With a calm and sly grin on her lips Verna put her hand confidently on Ruby's shoulder, the wolf girl's head snapping to the side, glaring at her with animalistic rage, but the artist didn't flinch, instead, she smiled softer and said; "Do you want to break him out?"

"W-what?" That. That got Ruby back from the brink, her watched stopped beeping as she stared dumbfounded at her friend.

"Not right now, but soon. I have a friend I was staying with back in the slums before you got me arrested, I bet she and her brother would help." Verna took Ruby's hand gently from the glass, her fingers wrapping gently around Ruby's sweaty and shaking hand before laying it back to rest carefully at her side.

"You're really serious aren't you?" Yang looked at their friend in disbelief for a moment… but then she looked back to the wolf. She had a degree of expertise with wolves but even she couldn't discern everything Ruby could. Still, she knew one thing for certain… _He's not going to survive like that much longer._

"Well do it." The wolf girl focused on her breaths but rage was apparent in every syllable. "Yang, I'm skipping class. Verna, can you take me to your friend?"

"Sure thing, I know she'd like you, especially if you're this fired up." Their friend went for her Scroll and began texting.

"You sure about this Sis? I want to save him too but-"

"I'm not letting him die in there." A hot a trembling breath expelled her frigid rage. Without another word Ruby walked away, heading for the exit and leaving her sister and friend to watch her with dismay and worry. Still, only on think screamed in Ruby's mind, resonating powerfully with the wolf that she was. _Hang on Aries. I'm going to save you._


	6. Perigee: Part 3

"I'm sorry for what happened back at the zoo… I don't usually lose control like that." The sun was setting and it had been a long walk from the zoo to the ghettos, long stretches of silence spanned the way but Verna's positive attitude and energy helped Ruby keep her head above water. Still, even as they neared their destination, Ruby was constantly struggling to hold herself back, the image of that poor wolf wasting away in a cage never left the forefront of her mind.

"Don't be, I would have if I was in your position, I wouldn't have held it together. He looked fine to me at first but you're the only wolf I've ever seen before him. Hearing you say everything you did about how he was really doing, I couldn't just do nothing." She could feel the direness of the Aries Wolf's plight in every tear strained word that left Ruby's lips back at the zoo. _As an artist and activist, over the years I've taken on a lot of causes, many that I didn't identify with right away. I don't like how unfair things are, we live in a cruel enough world, yet we're cruel to each other. Ruby, the first of her kind has to lock herself in ice to keep who she is a secret and Aries is the last of his kind and is left to die in a cage while the aweing masses watch. It's not fair and I'm not letting it go!_

"I have to save him. I won't let him die in there, but I can't do it alone." Ruby's cold silver eyes looked to Verna with the slightest hints of gratitude and urgency as they turned down an alley. "You really think your friend will help?"

"I've known her for years. She's a good person at heart but she's a little rough, I think, once we explain everything she'll be eager to help. However… she'll want to know everything." She stared back at Ruby, her tone leaving no doubt about the implication.

"You trust her?" Ruby looked scared, subdued and hidden under frost, but that fretful look bled through.

"I can count on one hand the number of people I trust with my life. Thistle is one of them." She wasn't sure what more she could say but hoped in her heart that her words would be enough without having to delve into her shared history with her friend only half of which she had claim to. _I'll leave it to Thistle to tell her if she wants._

"I…" Ruby hesitated, pausing as she looked contemplatively at her friend, her eyes drifting down her torso to the wound still healing on Verna's side. "I'll show her what I am if that's what it takes to save Aries."

"We'll save him, don't worry." Her apricot eyes held strong and true with a powerful conviction as she looked into Ruby's. _Aries is like Ruby, wasting away without true freedom. Maybe that's the real reason I have to help._

"Thank you Verna… I can tell he doesn't have long left. I need get to him soon, he needs to know that he's not alone." Ruby was able to glean so much from just looking at the dying wolf, still, one fact stood out more than anything was the knowledge that he was the last of his kind. _He must feel like he's all alone in the world. I know I've felt like giving up, without a pack, we wolves feel incomplete and wrong, depression is never far away for the lone wolf. Even when it was just me and Yang I needed more. My sister never gave up on me and now, I feel like I could have my own pack, no matter how misfit we seem on paper. Aries needs to know that… that being one of a kind doesn't mean you have to be alone._

"He's lucky to have you, no one else seems to notice or care. It's heartbreaking, knowing what I know now." Verna guided Ruby out of the alley into a street littered with trash, broken glass and spent needles. It was late and getting dark but less than half the street lights worked and about half of those flickered as they struggled to stay lit. Run down apartments and houses all had barred windows and heavy locks, many cars had signs of break ins despite most of them being old and poorly maintained. As Ruby looked around the slums the aching in her heart shifted from Aries to the poor that lived in the ghettos. _And according to Verna, getting out is extremely hard. I hate this… it's unfair. Just by walking through this neighborhood, I have a whole new appreciation for what Verna does._

"We're here." Thistle came to a stop, her tone suddenly wistful as she stared up at a dilapidated old house that looked about the same as every other on the block, shoddy construction and cheap materials made up most of the dwellings in the ghettos and this was no exception. It was a small single story house, dwarfed by many of the larger apartments surrounding it but fared just as well to the decay of time. There were lights on but only in one room while the rest of the home was dark, likely to save electricity.

"Your friend lives here?" Ruby couldn't help but frown, she wasn't naive, she understood what living in a place like this meant, but knowing someone, even by proxy, just made it so much closer to home. _I guess, in reality, this isn't far from home at all. Just a modest walk away._

"With her brother. I don't think he's home right now though. Still, expect to be treated with some suspicion at first." She reaches into her short denim short pockets, pulling out a single key, holding it with such delicate care that Ruby could tell that having a spare key to someone's home in this place was a sign of immense trust. She stood place while Verna climbed the the few cracked concrete steps that led up to the front door. Ruby's sensitive nose didn't love the smell of the ghetto, when she turned into a wolf her first time meeting Verna she could smell the desperation, resignation and resentment permeating the air and streets of the slums.

"Come on, I promise, Thistle and Vitali are good people." A soft, reassuring smile glowed on Verna's face and instantly Ruby felt her iced over heartwarming, before she knew it, she was smiling back up at her as the artist opened the door.

"Right, I'm coming." Shaking her head lightly, helpless the wipe the grin off her face under the light of Verna's smile Ruby resigned herself to the pleasant feeling as she followed her friend inside. Verna's smile only seemed to grow seeing Ruby's while she held the door open for her before closing it softly behind them, making certain that she locked it.

It was warm… for some reason Ruby wasn't expecting that. It was a small home and a little messy, the kitchen was merged with the entrance to the home and Ruby could see the piled up dishes and dirty stove top but otherwise it was clear of clutter. The floors were covered in cheap, fake tile that was cracked and chipped revealing the subpar wood underneath. The house held a definite scent, a small family had called it home for a long time, two separate but very similar scents had leached into every room and filled the air. At that moment she felt her grip on her self control slipping, just for a moment as she wondered just how it would smell as a wolf.

"Vitali? You're home early. Is it alright if Krystal spends the night over- oh! Verna it's you!" A small young woman even shorter than Verna appeared at the threshold to what seemed to be the living room. She had shoulder length apple red hair tied in a braid on one side of her face and soft purple eyes. She wore even less than Verna, a strip of purple fabric tied around her chest, a white unbuttoned vest half the length of her torso and white shorts held to her waist with a chain belt.

"Hey Thistle, sorry I kinda disappeared for a bit. Got a bit sidetracked, heh-heh." Verna blushed as she bashfully rubbed the back of her head.

"Verna's here!? Hold on! I- Ouch!" Ruby and Verna's eyes looked to the darkened living room where a noisy clatter erupted along with the yelp of pain from another young woman. Thistle however just sighed and shook her head with a smirk pulling at her lips.

"Um…" Ruby looked up at her friend wondering if she should ask if the apparently hurt party was okay, but before she could articulate that, another girl joined Thistle at the threshold, her face contorted in pain and her toes lifted up off the carpet.

"Verna, it's good to see you back, we were so worried when we heard you were picked up by the police!" Krystal forced a smile through the pain, her bushy brown fox tail lashing back and forth behind her. She had big, light-brown eyes and long curly brown hair, she was the tallest person in the room, at least Yang's height. She wore a two tiered white skirt that hung down just below her knees and a burgundy top with quarter sleeved with white cuffs and a black choker with a burgundy ribbon tied in a bow at her throat.

"Yeah, it was nothing, the police barely had me for a few hours before a friend came through. Mostly I was just stuck at the hospital bored out of my mind." Verna shrugged but Ruby was thankful for the sparse details her friend gave.

"Wait, you were in the hospital?" Thistle folded her arms over her chest and glared at the artist who shark back playfully under her accusing gaze.

"Why didn't you tell us? What happened? Are you alright? Please don't tell me you ran away before they finished treating you because you were bored?" Just like that Krystal's tone went from worry to resignation with a sigh and Ruby couldn't help but giggle. _They know her really well. That's exactly what she did._

"Who's your friend? I haven't seen her around before." Ruby's unintentional giggle drew the attention of Thistle, her words unabashedly holding an edge of suspicion to them as she let her hands fall to her sides.

"Oh, right. Thistle, Krystal, this is my new friend Ruby." Verna stepped aside, giving her friends full view of the young wolf in human skin, Ruby's eyes darting down to her watch monitoring her heart, feeling her social anxiety squeezing on her chest.

"Not even gone two weeks and you already replace us? Well don't we feel special." Thistle smirked, putting her hands in her pockets as she leaned against the frame where a door once was that led to the living room.

"Oh, don't listen to her." Krystal gave a dismissive flick of her tail as she stepped forward with a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you Ruby."

"Nice to meet you as well." Ruby's heart was bitten with a pang of regret and guilt as her icy cold voice drew a look of worry from the fox faunus. Still, she knew she had things to explain before she could even consider turning in front of them.

"So, who are you, aside from Verna's newest friend?" Thistle chimed back in, the hostility and suspicion gone from her voice.

"I'm from Patch and I'm a student at Beacon." Ruby figured small doses was the best way to approach coming around to the big reveal.

"A wannabe Huntress huh?" And just like that, Thistle's hostility was back with a scowl and a bitter huff.

"Any friend of Verna's is a friend of ours but do excuse Thistle's… lack of enthusiasm. We just don't get much help from Huntsmen out here… even though we need it more than the rest of the kingdom." Those big brown eyes looked down to the floor and her tail drooped, falling onto the carpet behind her. Ruby could just feel the gravity in her words weighing her down with a guilt she wasn't sure she should even bear. Still, she felt bad regardless.

"Krystal and Thistle are soft of like… an extremely aggressive neighborhood watch. They keep the slums safer by fighting off gangs and criminals and intervening in disputes so they don't escalate. I'd wager that either of them could give any student at Beacon a run for their money." Verna sounded equal parts enthralled and impressed, it was easy to tell that she really looked up to them.

"Well, we try." Krystal admitted with a heavy and stressed exhale.

"My older brother Vitali was the one that started watching out for our neighborhood. We've lived here our whole lives and we've seen it go downhill more and more every year. So we decided to step up, Krystal joined too and things were working great for a while, mostly just a bunch of petty criminals and lowlifes, nothing we couldn't handle." An undertone of spite and malice dripped from every syllable as Thistle spoke.

"At least… until recently." Hopelessness, fear and deep concern dulled her warm sand colors eyes and weighed down her voice. "The Venom Cartel has been moving in so fast and the more we push them back the harder they return. They're aggressive and violent and honestly… I don't think we can stop them."

"Whoa, that's a way different attitude than when we last spoke, I know the Cartel has been giving you trouble but I didn't think things had gotten that bad. What happened while I was gone?" Ruby almost flinched at the fear in Verna's voice. For the wolf, she had barely ever heard of Venom before. It was never in the news and she had never seen its effects.

"They got to Alan…" Krystal's lip quivered and her words were strangled by the welling of tears in her eyes and a desperate sob that she was fighting back in her throat. By her side Thistle's pose relaxed and her eyes softened with empathy as she reached out her hand, providing a gentle touch to her friend's shoulder.

"Oh Krystal…" The artist's jaw clenched and her fists balled at her side as she looked away in shame. "I'm so sorry."

"They cornered him and told him he owed them money. When he came home he was bleeding and hurt but he wouldn't let me take him to the hospital. The stress is really getting to him… I can't let him start using again, it took so much just to get him free of Venom." Now, Krystal's words held pure rage and desperation as she bared her teeth and her tail puffed up and her vision blurred with tears. "We can't win, they have really powerful people, former Huntsmen and mercenaries. The police won't help, they won't even come to the ghettos, they say it's too dangerous but they're the ones that let it get that bad by enabling the Cartel! There's only three of us, four when you're around Verna. I don't blame you… I just wish you were there."

"I was being selfish, as usual." She didn't try to defend herself, Verna looked right into Krystal's glistening eyes, accepting all of the pain in them into her own heart.

"You got caught by the police. Selfish had nothing to do with it. I'm just pissed that you bailed on the hospital when you should have been recovering and… wait a minute, I heard that you got taken down by a couple Huntresses in training, just kids like us." Now those intimidating purple eyes were burning into Ruby while Krystal wiped her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

"I was the one who injured her. It was our mission." It was all but reflexive, her turning her blood to liquid nitrogen as the regret and guilt started to gnaw at her heart. She knew it wouldn't endear her to them, but she wasn't ready to turn in front of them yet either.

"And you're really friends with her, Verna? How can you be sure that you can trust her? After all, what we do is illegal, I have enough going on without having to worry about someone close to me stabbing me in the back." Krystal didn't hold back, but she didn't have a hint of hate in her voice, no trace of the disdain she had when talking about Venom or the police.

"Ruby wouldn't do that!" As Verna's powerful declaration echoed through the house, everyone was stunned, everyone, even Verna herself seemed taken aback by the certainty in her defense of her friend. "She- she's not like that… I know she isn't. Actually, I know it's really bad timing but…"

"I came here to ask for your help." Ruby stepped forward, putting herself between Verna and the two women who stared at her still reeling from the defiant proclamation in Ruby's defense. She wasn't going to ask them for help, not with everything that was going on for them, but she wasn't going to leave Verna hanging after so staunchly standing up for her.

"Verna says you're good and there's someone that is in urgent need of saving. I can't do it alone, not getting away clean. I know you have a lot going on and I know you barely know me but Aries needs your help." Ruby smashed through her own ice, barely keeping herself from turning as her earnest pleading left her lips, her chest aching with the image of that ginger wolf dying in a cage. "Please… help me save him."

"I know what you're about to hear might sound crazy but please, just hear her out." Once again, Verna knew she was being selfish… _But I can't let Ruby down after giving her hope._

"Hey, maybe you weren't listening but we can't even help ourselves right now. I don't know what you expect us to do. There's a literal war on the streets and we're losing. Krystal's brother is on the verge of relapsing and Vitali is working himself to death keeping the lights on and protecting our community. We're sorry for your friend or whoever but… our family comes first." Painful sorrow and guilt flashed in Thistle's eyes that shied away from Ruby's even as she stepped forward, standing protectively between her visitors and Krystal.

"What if I help you deal a decisive blow to the Cartel?" Ruby boldly moved forward, now less than an arm's length away from Thistle looking down at her, making her body appear bigger while her gaze fixed onto Thistle's. _I'm an Alpha, I won't back down so easily. I may be weak as a human but I am a wolf and I will save Aries._

"W-what?" Krystal whispered in disbelief while Thistle just gaped up at Ruby. Behind the wolf Verna folded her arms over her chest and smiled proudly at her new friend.

"You said that they're encroaching on your territory with the Venom and that its use is growing quickly. If they're making an effort to take this neighborhood they would need to store their product somewhere close by. I can help you find it and destroy it if you help me save Aries." This was it, her final gambit. The only thing she could bargain with. _I already know the smell of the Venom, I could track it easily._

"We've been looking for their stash for months, what makes you think you could find it?" There was suspicion in Thistle's soft voice to be sure, however, it was all but drowned out by the overtone of hope that she held as she looked up at Ruby.

"It's okay Ruby, like I said, I trust them with my life. Go ahead if you're ready." Verna joined her newest friend, standing right behind her with an affirming hand on her shoulder. _Yang warned me not to lead Ruby on about joining her pack… but maybe that wouldn't be so bad. It would be new and being around Ruby inspires my art, a pack is like a family right? Maybe I miss having one of those anyway._

"Okay… thank you Verna." With a stressed release of breath Ruby relaxed her body, letting down the ice that encased her heart which beat faster and faster with excitement and anticipation as she readied to turn into her true self.

"There's a reason I can find the Venom, and there's a reason that the one who needs saving is Aries, a wolf, the last of his kind at the Vale Zoo. I- I um… need to take my clothes off, I can't destroy another outfit or my sister will be mad at me. If anyone is uncomfortable with that, turn around." She could feel her cheeks heating up as Krysta and Thistle looked her with mouths agape, their own faces blushing pink as Ruby began to disrobe, knowing that hesitating might take away the nerve she had built up to do this in the first place.

"I'm just gonna turn around for this, heh-heh…" With the most awkward grin and burning cheeks on her face Verna spun around on her heels and interlocked her hands behind her while Ruby she listened to the sound of Ruby's clothes sliding off of her body. Kristal instantly covered her eyes with hands but Thistle… Thistle watched, her face blushed ever so slightly but her body tensed and ready as she watched Ruby get naked.

 _I know what's at stake, for everyone. Aries needs me but so do Thistle and Krystal. Even so…_ A smile broke through, lighting up her face as she slowly and blissfully closed her eyes, letting go, falling into the sea of emotions she had kept bound in ice. It felt good, painful and it nearly brought her to tears… but it was good to feel again. _Im free._

A burst of rose petals and a explosion of pure aura that shook the entire house. That's all the preceded the appearance of the massive black wolf with crimson stained ears, tail, paws and chin. Verna turned around the moment she felt Ruby's warm, soft tail against her leg, finding Thistle and Krystal several paces back from where she last saw them, their eyes wide and their faces pale with shock and fear.

Ruby looked from one girl to the other, her long tongue licking her lips and feeling her teeth, the geography of her mouth now so much more comfortable and natural to her with her rows of sharp, pointed teeth and deadly fangs. The ears atop her head flicked as she took in a deep breath of the home's scent. Just like she knew it would be, it was like a whole other world, the smells, the sounds, the sights, everything was different and truer. She could smell the hint of cigarettes and alcohol, sweat from heavy workouts and the iron and steel that was used to facilitate it, she could smell happiness and sorrow but most fresh was the scent of fear and shock that was emanating from the girls before her.

 _I wish Verna and Yang could experience this. It's like nothing else in the world, nothing a human could ever have. Everything is just so much more potent and sharp, more raw and pure at the same time. I can never get over how beautiful the world is as a wolf._ Her tail was wagging even faster and her tongue was hanging out as she drew deeper and deeper breathers, the scents rushing through her nose which could detect every single molecule, all the nuance of the scents were so apparent. She could even smell the shifting emotions of those around her and feel their breathing through her whiskers.

"Verna… please explain." Thistle gawked at the wolf that was once seemingly a human girl, watching Ruby yawn before stretching, bringing her head low and her rear up, pulling at her back and legs.

"Ruby here is a wolf who sometimes looks like a girl." This was only her third time seeing Ruby as her true self but even now Verna couldn't help but feel that she seemed more natural that way. "There's a wolf named Aries and he's dying in captivity. Ruby wants to rescue him but we need help. When she said she could find the Cartel, I'm assuming she was talking about her incredible sense of smell as a wolf."

"Woof!" Ruby barked loudly, affirming and confirming what her friend was saying as she sat up beside her, looking very deliberately into Thistle's eyes.

"She can definitely lead you to the Venom and help us destroy it, trust me, she's super strong as a wolf. Aries needs your help first, Ruby says he's not going to last long. I think she wants to keep him here just for a little bit." At this point Verna was only guessing, looking down to Ruby for confirmation, receiving a from nod that told her she was on the right track.

"So you want to keep a stolen wolf at my house?" Thistle, who had finally recovered from the big reveal, fell back against the wall, rubbing her face with her hand while laughing softly to herself. "Verna, you make the weirdest friends."

"I'll do it." Krystal stepped forward, her tail still stiff as she eyed Ruby warily, her own animalistic instincts telling her to to cautious of the powerful and dangerous predator. "If it means getting back at the Venom Cartel I'll do whatever it takes."

"Yeah, Alan's a good guy even if he's had it rough these past few years. He's always been good to us and I can't just let this go. I'll talk to my brother, he should be home any-"

"Woof!" Another loud bark shouted from Ruby's throat as she turned around, her hard, sharp claws scraping against the tile as she dashed towards them front door, scratching at it while her tail wagged excitedly.

"Someone's out there." Was the only conclusion Verna could come to based on Ruby's behavior. Krystal and Thistle looked to each other with dubious expressions as Verna walked to the door, turning the knob for her now thumbless friend. _Well, whoever it is, she's not acting like they're a threat._

As soon as the door was opened enough for Ruby to fit her body through she bolted out the door, jumping down the stairs before bouncing up on her hind legs, catching her upper body on the person standing on the sidewalk in front of the house while she panted and licked at the newcomer.

"Hey Sis, good to see you too." Yang smiled, snuffing out the embers on her half finished cigarette against a nearby metal pole. "Before you scold me for skipping classes, I want you to know that you're doing the same."

"Hey, this that wolf sister you were telling me about?" A man's voice spoke up as Verna, Thistle and Krystal stepped outside.

"Vitali, you know this girl?" Thistle looked to the young man. There was a definite resemblance between the two siblings, Vitali sharing Thistle's soft purple eyes and apple red hair though his was trimmed down into a buzz cut with only a single braid on the side in front of his ear.

"Yeah, pretty girls dressed like her, she didn't seem to fit in around here so we started talking." He took a long drag off his cigarette, one of which he had been kind enough to share with Yang. He was tall a bit over two meters and well muscled under his black cargo pants, tight purple top that showed off the contours of his chest and abs and covered by a white vest.

"He said he knew Verna so I figured he was one of the friends she told us about." Yang smiled as she petted Ruby but the smell of cigarette smoke that hung to her sister made Ruby huff in annoyance. Yang was an infrequent social smoker but Ruby never liked it. She didn't mind the smell so much but… _It's my job to make sure my pack stays healthy._

"So," Vitali spoke up disinterestedly, burning his cigarette down to the filter before throwing it to the ground and stomping it out under his foot. "We gonna save that wolf or what?"


	7. Perigee: Part 4

Wispy clouds of dull white billowed into the cold night air carried by a tired and dismal sigh. A small orange glow illuminated the dark, a pinprick of warm light that slowly smoldered, waxing and waning in brightness with each breath drew through it. Aside from the meager ember, the night was broken up by streetlights in the distance and the faint glow of lights from deeper within the building that seeped through the large glass doors.

A young man stood bored and distracted, staring up at the starry sky and shattered moon. His security uniform was wrinkled and disheveled, the shirt he had shown up to work in tucked in was now mostly loose from his pants. His lackluster gaze said it all, even more than his wandering eyes and heavy sighs.

"Three more hours… I hate this job, so boring. How does anyone stay awake when nothing ever happens? I just wish-"

 **Ka-choook!**

He froze at the very distinctive and immediately recognizable sound that echoed from behind him. His blood ran cold and his heart skipped a beat while the still smoldering cigarette fell from his lips. The guard's body was shaking with fear and with eyes wide and skin pale, he turned around as slowly as a glacier, keeping his hands far from his belt.

"Might want to be careful what you wish for."

Standing before him, a stunning blonde spoke while aiming her Huntress weapons on her wrists at him. Around her were five others, all with weapons ranging from large bladed hoops, chained recurved knives and spray paint cans for the girls and for the tall and intimidating man, two intimidatingly large pistols with serrated combat knives for bayonets.

In the middle of them all stood a small girl obscured in a red hood and cloak wrapped around her, though her deadly cold silver eyes were as sharp and intimidating as any of the blades or bullets that threatened his life.

"W-what do you want!? I… I don't have much but my wallet's in my back pocket! Just take it and don't hurt me!" His mouth had gone dry and his heart was beating so fast that he felt like it might burst.

"We're not thieves, we just need to save someone and we want your help to get in." The cloaked girl with the mirrored stare spoke softly and gently as she took a confident step forward. The young woman's arms raised up from the flowing rose red of her cloak, slowly her pale hands grabbed hold of her hood, time seemed to slow as she pulled it back, loosing her flowing black hair tinged with crimson on its tips. "A life is in danger. Please."

"In danger? W-who? I mean, what do you need me for?" Now, he was as perplexed as he was frightened but the red clad girl's eyes calmed his nerves, a kind of sweet and tender purity eased his heart.

"We need you to get us in that zoo, you have the pass codes and know the layout right? We're breaking one of the animals out and you're going to helps us." A petite young woman with striking brown eyes and an impatiently lashing fox tail growled, holding up her bladed hoop up to his throat. "Or else!"

"Are you guys some kind of radicals or something?" As his gaze finally broke away from the silver eyed girl to move to the faunus and her weapon, his fear returned with a vengeance. Every single one of the gang that held up and gun and blade point were terrifying, each in their own way. Still, none scared him more than the soft spoken girl in the cape.

"An animal is dying, someone whose been through enough suffering. We're saving him, he won't survive in this place." Ruby's voice was half earnest pleading and half subtle threat as her hands retreated back under her cloak. "He doesn't have much time left. I won't let him die in there, I won't. You can help us save his life, I promise, that's all we want to do."

"Come on, don't make my little Sis beg, you've got a heart don't you?" Yang grinned smugly and playfully while a shell clicked into her Ember Celica.

"We're kinda in a rush so if you could just say yes and put in those codes, that'd be great." Verna put on her most amiable smirk and gestured at her friends with her paint can still in hand. With a small sweep of her arm she highlighted the precarious position he was in with all their weapons trained on him. "You know what the right thing to do is, even if you're only thinking about yourself."

"Please, I'll do what you want just- just don't hurt me okay." The guard was breaking out in a nervous sweat as he backed away with his hands up.

"Thanks! Sorry about the rough treatment but Aries doesn't have much time." Ruby looked to her makeshift pack with a smile and a nod, prompting them to lower their weapons. "Yang, you go with him, Thistle and Verna. Krystal, Vitali, you're with me."

"Got it!" Her pack sounded off and broke into their respective groups, Yang grabbing the poor security guard by his arm and dragging him to the entrance. Meanwhile, Vitali and Krystal took up her rear, waiting for their orders.

Ruby watched their unwilling accomplice shakily type in the security code to unlock the front door, Yang grinning while she carelessly rested her elbow on his shoulder. Verna seemed to be giddy to get started while Thistle was alert and focused, her head swiveling back and forth, scanning for potential threats.

"We'll break in from the other side, without tripping any alarms. I'll drop into Arie's enclosure, and then break him out. Yang will be waiting for me and you two will head back. There's no quiet way to get him out so leave for the exit as soon as I drop down into the enclosure." Stoically, Ruby took the lead, doing an about-face before walking with dead silence towards the back of the zoo.

The city was very quiet this early in the morning, they didn't have to worry about passing cars or security catching them. After all, the local zoo wasn't a likely target for break-ins, leading to there only being a couple security personnel on site per shift. The trio strolled calmly around the building, Ruby drawing on her superhuman sense of smell navigate… _And tonight, the wind is with us. I can smell him, he's so close. Just hold on, I'm coming for you._

"So… what are you anyway?" Krystal quickened her pace to match with Ruby.

"I told you, I'm a wolf." To her, it really was just that simple, she was a wolf, even if it took her a while to accept. _If it took me so long to accept, I guess I can understand others having a hard time accepting it… after all… I'm the first of my kind._

"Yeah but… how? Did something happen or were you born that way?" Krystal's curiosity was getting the better of her. Even knowing that Ruby was her only shot at taking down the cartel, or maybe it was exactly because she was relying so much on someone she knew so little about.

"I've been a wolf my whole life." Ruby couldn't risk letting the discomfort and sadness that lurched in her chest grow, not yet. All she could manage to do was ice it out, snuffing out her feelings for the good of her mission.

"So… if you're a wolf, why do you-"

"Krystal, drop it." Vitali nudged his family friend, cutting her off mid word. "You're making everyone uncomfortable. She doesn't want to get into it and I don't want to hear it. If you want to interrogate an ally, do it when I'm not around."

"I'm not interrogating anyone, I'm just confused." The fox faunus defended herself, her tail bushing up in embarrassment despite her calm demeanor.

"It's okay." Ruby spoke softly and coldly, knowing her tone would likely do little to reassure Krystal but trying regardless. "I can't explain it all now, but I am a wolf, I promise."

"I'm sorry…" Krystal gave a weak sigh, her tail dropping guiltily, dragging along the cool grass. "I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around this, but I'm a faunus so I get being different, I should know better than to pry."

"I said it's okay." Her nature compelled her to comfort the girl, to tell her everything, to open up and reassure her… _but I can't._

"Camera." Krystal said abruptly, grabbing Ruby and Vitali by their arms, bringing the entire team to a sudden halt. With her stellar night vision combined with her extraordinarily useful Semblance in Auto-Alert, she could detect any threat and pinpoint its direction and severity.

"We don't have much time. Stay close to the wall, single file." Ruby flipped her hood up and and moved to the outer wall of the zoo, keeping her shoulder just brushing against it. Behind her, she felt Vitali and Krystal follow her lead.

"Are we close?" Vitali's tone held an edge of impatience as his hands hovered very near his bayoneted pistols holstered at his sides.

"I can smell him, just a little further and we should be just behind his enclosure. Can you get me up the wall?" They didn't have much time to formulate a plan on the walk to the zoo from the Tsvetok home, but Ruby was debriefed on their skills and equipment. Their crime wasn't as well conceived as she would have liked. _It doesn't matter. I won't let Aries suffer another night, I'll make do with what we have._

"Pshh, no problem, but once you're on the other side, you're on your own." He didn't think he needed to remind her, it was her plan after all. Still, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated as she stepped forward without even a moment's hesitation. "Well alright. Guess we're doing this!"

"Here." Coming to a dead stop, Ruby looked up the ten meter high wall, the cool wind whipped around her, carrying with it the scents of desperation and distress. "Once I'm on the other side, you two escape and head back to the house. The rest of us will meet you back there."

"Got it, just make sure you come back… my brother is counting on you." Krystal's hard gaze stared unflinchingly into the eyes of the apex predator. "We're all counting on you."

"I know. We have a deal, I won't let you down." With that, Ruby turned away from Krystal and faced the wall, taking a couple small steps back. _I can't exert myself too hard, if I change before I scale the wall, Vitali might not be able to get me all the way up._

"Ready?" Vitali looked from Ruby's bare feet to the bottom of the wall, focusing his Semblance, waiting for the green light.

"Now." At her command she stepped forward, confidently placing one foot on the wall… and then another. She could feel an invisible force holding her up, counteracting gravity and holding her horizontally to the wall. This was Vitali's Semblance; Point Attract. He could create an attractive force between any two points within his line of sight.

"But four is pushing it, so hurry up…" He was gritting his teeth, pushing his power to its limit keeping both Ruby's feet to the wall.

It was an arduous climb, with every step Ruby could feel Vitali's grip wavering. She didn't need to look at her watch to tell that her heart rate was increasing dangerously. She had to fight to hold herself in her human form. The only thing that kept her going was her near unblinking stare at the summit of the wall, knowing that Aries was getting closer to his rescue with every successful step Ruby took.

 _Just a little more! Just a few more steps! Don't change yet! Hope, desperation, fear, caring… freeze all of it, snuff it all out. Just for now, just a little longer._ All she could do was take slow and deliberate breaths while she reached up, grabbing the ledge a moment before Vitali's Semblance gave out. The tough looking man below her nearly collapsed, having to rely on Krystal for support.

Ruby could hear them making their escape, more slowly than Ruby would have liked, but she couldn't hear or smell anyone else so her worry about them being caught eased. Just like they had planned… Ruby was alone.

Sparing one glance at the waxing, shattered moon above, she drew in a long, deep breath… and jumped.

Wind rushed around her as she plummeted down, her body relaxed, falling more like a doll than a person. She could see the grass and, just before she made impact, she reoriented herself, landing into a smooth roll on the soft dirt before coming to an easy stop in the wolf's artificial den.

"Myyymmm…" A weak and whiny whimper barely reached Ruby's ears over the breeze. As she rose to her feet, standing tall and steely in the the night, her eyes caught a scrawny figure curled up in a ball in the dirt.

It was Aries, the last wolf of his kind. Now inside his enclosure, so close to him, she could smell even more, and all of it peaked her anxiety and empathy. The acrid scent of urine was so strong it burned her nose even without turning, the patches of dried piss all very near to the poor wolf before her, the broken animal no longer having the will to move.

His fur was matted and unkempt, even though they had seen him not even twenty four hours ago, it seemed as though his condition had rapidly deteriorated. As she focused, Ruby could hear his labored, weak breathing, a painful rise and fall of the silhouette in front of her. Her heartache and rage burned so furiously and encompassing you, she didn't even notice her watch beeping on her wrist.

"Arrrmmm." Aries grumbled, his head raising up slowly and shakily, his grey eyes catching the moonlight behind her, setting them aglow. The two wolves stared at each other in a moment that seemed to stretch out for eternity.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help… I'm here to rescue you." Ruby's voice quivered and her vision went blurry with tears. Slowly, her delicate hands reached up to undo the button fastening her cloak around her neck with the softest smile. _You're not alone anymore…_

From behind the glass, three girls watched, waiting for their part in the breakout to begin. However, the moment that the swath of crimson fabric slid off Ruby's sleek and slender body, bathing her porcelain pale skin in the radiant silver light of the moon, neither Verna nor Thistle could think about the job.

Time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as the naked young woman stepped towards the wolf. Rose petals scattered around her as she began to change, dark fur blossoming from her skin while her shape transformed into her true self, the grandest wolf to ever live.

"I wonder what that feels like…'' Verna muttered absent mindedly, her warm hand fogging up the glass that it rested on while a soft blush tinted her cheek.

"She tells me it kinda feels like waking up and stretching after a really good nap." Yang smiled, knowing that her little sister was free, even if just for the time being. _Ruby knows the value of freedom better than most people, that's probably why saving Aries is so important to her._

"Isn't it weird for you? Seeing your sister um… you know…" Thistle tried her best to be tactless but she couldn't help stumbling over her words, still unable to take her eyes off of Ruby who walked on all fours confidently towards Aries who was all but unreactive.

"Ruby was like this since they day she was born. I've always watched over her, every full moon, every tantrum, every time she got excited or sad, I've been there. It's not weird for me, after all, she's my sister." It was a simple fact, she would always be there for Ruby… _No matter what._

"How aware is she when she's like that? Is like, still a person, or-"

"Ruby is Ruby no matter what she looks like." Yang interjected, cutting Thistle off but keeping her annoyance at the implication mostly out of her tone. "She's as smart and funny and creative, whether she's herself or a human, but being a wolf let's her express herself. Still, she's a wolf so she has strong instincts that kinda just compel her, but they're a part of who she is so she loves her instincts and doesn't try to fight them."

"Um… she's sniffing his ass..." Thistle looked awkwardly away while pointing to the two wolves.

"Hey, no one ever said that all wolf instincts were glamorous." Yang shrugged with a grin. "It might seem weird to us humans, but to wolves, it's no different than looking at someone's face. She can tell his health, age and even emotions just with a quick sniff."

"That's pretty cool." Verna couldn't take her eyes off Ruby and strangely, watching her act like a wolf didn't make her feel weird or embarrassed by proxy, it just seemed right. Even so, deep down, for just a fraction of a moment… the young artist felt an unexpected pang of sadness in her heart.

 _It's worse than it looks… he's not just depressed._ Ruby raised her head to look at Aries who couldn't seem to summon up the strength to lift his tail or his eyes. _He's lost the will to live._

Her lifetime of relying on verbal communication did all of about nothing to help her when interacting with another wolf. Still, she was a wolf, and she knew intuitively what she wanted to do. With a soft huff, she padded up to him, standing over the starving animal, his ribs visible even underneath his fur.

Soft, quiet whines escaped her throat as she licked around his muzzle and ears, grooming his dusty, dirty fur. After tending to him for only a minute, she could feel his head weakly struggle to raise up, exposing his chin and throat, allowing Ruby to groom his vulnerable points. His fur tasted like dirt, oil and was stained with the scent of his urine, but none of that mattered as Ruby desperately fought to bring him back from the brink.

She gnawed gently at the mats in his fur, and frequently returned to his snout to nuzzle him, giving him constant reassurance and care. Her tail wagged comfortingly and she exuded a scent of not just compassion, but of strength, telling him that she was an Alpha. After only minutes of grooming… Aries' tail began to weakly but definitely slap up and down on the ground.

 _It's time to go._ Ruby turned to her friends waiting on the other side of the glass, giving a quick nod to them before returning her attention to Aries. Her jaws clamped around the scruff of his neck and with heartbreaking ease, she lifted his emaciated body to his paws.

"Looks like it's time. You both ready?" Yang turned to her accomplices with a smirk, excited to finally get some action.

"We're good to go." Verna nodded, stepping away from the glass while Thistle stepped forward. The tiny girl with the apple red hair placed her palms on the glass and took a deep breath.

 **BOOOOM!**

In a devastating concussive shockwave the glass exploded from Thistle's Semblance! A shower of shards followed and in less than a second, the alarm was tripped, screaming through all the hallways and even outside, still within earshot of Vitali and Krystal where were on their way home.

"Let's move, Ruby!" Verna shouted, only turning when she saw the two wolves rushin towards the open in the glass Thistle had made for them.

With a burst of adrenaline, Aries was able to barely keep up with Ruby who was slowing herself down painfully to keep him by her side. The group ran down the halls, past the security guard who was banging and crying from inside a storage locker.

With a single punch Yang blew through the front doors and they escaped into the night. _We did it… you're free now, Aries._


	8. Perigee: Part 5

"Um… so we're just supposed to stay here… hiding a stolen, two-hundred pound wolf in our house?" Vitali looked wearily at Aries, inching slowly away from the large predator sitting casually on his tattered sofa.

"Woof!" Ruby barked with a quick nod of her head, her tail slapping impatiently against the ground. She was eager to go, but more eager to get back. _I know I promised Thistle and Krystal that I would help them with the drug problem in this town but I don't want Aries to be here for longer than he has to, he's been cramped up in small places for too long._

"I'm pretty sure that's a yes." Verna giggled, rubbing behind Ruby's ear, her fingers sinking deep into her thick, warm fur. Her mind caught back up with reality, remembering suddenly that the large canine sitting between herself and Thistle was a person. Her hand began to pull away, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment… until she felt Ruby's snout bump against her fingers.

 _You don't need to stop. It's okay._ Ruby knew she couldn't speak with human words as a wolf, but somehow, that felt more natural anyway. Her tail gave away her feelings as she wagged it gently back and forth while her cold, wet nose tapped her friend's hand. That was all it took for Verna to guess what Ruby was saying, and nervously resumed scratching behind her ear.

"Relax, I practically raised Ruby, I can take care of this guy." Yang dismissed Vitali's concern with a wave of her hand before falling down on the couch beside Aries. "We stopped at the supermarket on our way here for a reason. We've got enough to feed him and I'll whip us up dinner as thank you for letting us use your place tonight."

"And it's not like you can come with, you haven't exactly been subtle about fighting the dealers, they spot you and we'd be busted before we got close enough. As is, we're just three little girls taking our… very, very big dog for a walk." Even saying that, Thistle couldn't bring herself to look at Ruby, instead her eyes meeting Yang's for just a moment, half expecting the older sister to be offended, but instead, she just looked amused.

"We don't have time to debate who's going, we need to deal with this tonight." Krystal spoke quietly, emerging from the kitchen with a somber visage. "Thanks for letting me keep Alan here, Vitali."

"I know we aren't related, but that you and that idiot are family." For all his bravado, the carefree smile Vitali wore gave way to a worried, frustrated look. "How is he?"

"Not well… he took another shot of Venom while we were rescuing Aries. I- I thought I cleared the apartment but apparently he had one stashed away somewhere." The strong willed girl quivered, her voice shaking as she fought back the urge to cry, but Ruby could smell her pain.

"Krystal…" Thistle stepped forward, her hand raising up to comfort her friend across the room… but she only made it a single step. Her hand fell helplessly back to her side and impotent anger welled up inside her small body.

"He's going to be out for a while, he'll need to be hydrated and kept cool. Make sure he stays laying on his side in case he throws up." With a trembling breath, Krystal clenched her fists and puffed up her tail.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him. Just make sure you come back safe for us, you too pipsqueak." Vitali grinned at his little sister, but everyone could feel the growing unease in the room, the atmosphere was getting so heavy it was almost unbearable.

"We'll be back soon." Thistle slowly pushed the door open, letting in a rush of cool, autumn night air.

"Oh, wait, almost forgot!" Yang blurted out, reaching into a plastic bag beside the couch.

"I bought this for Ruby, figured it would make you all look less suspicious." Without hesitating, the Huntress in training held a heavy duty leash and collar swaying form her hand. The collar was thick leather and from it dangled a rose shaped crest…

"Woof!" An indignant bark erupted, filling whole room. Ruby was used to being naked, even comfortable enough around people she just met that day, but now her ears were heating up and her tail was held low between her legs. _I can't believe she did that! It even has my name on it! How is this helping me keep my secret!?_

"Are- um… are you sure that's okay?" Verna's cheeks had ignited into a furious pink, unconsciously scooching away from the agitated wolf beside her.

"Of course I'm sure! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, and she'll look so cute in it too!" The older sister was having way too much fun at Ruby's expense as she knelt down in front of her and unclasped the collar.

"Grrrrroooo!" With a whiny growl Ruby backed up until she felt her butt hit the door. Her ears fell back against her head and her tail stayed low. _S-stop it Yang! I don't want that on! This isn't funny! She's totally serious. Why is she doing this in front of everyone? Aries is staring at me, so is Verna… wait, why is she blushing! Why did that make me even more embarrassed? Why-_

 **Click**.

"There, perfect fit." Dusting off her hands, Yang stood up to admire her work. The collar was hidden within Ruby's fur but the silver, rose shaped tag dangling onto her chest was clearly visible with her name in beautiful red lettering.

"Hrmmmm." Ruby murmured while her back leg kicked uselessly at the collar. _I'm so getting you back for this!_

"Pfff… heh-heh." A barely suppressed laugh caught everyone off guard, the room turning to the smiling, grateful face of Krystal who was carefully wiping away her tears. "Thanks… I um… I needed that."

"I figured we could all use a laugh." Yang gave an affirming nod to Krystal before turning to Verna. "Here, you should hold her leash."

"Oh! I- I don't know." Ruby could hear Verna's heart racing and smell her anxiety and unease. Meanwhile, her own heart was pounding, her burning hot ears pointed straight up and her fur was puffed out.

"If people see a dog the size of Ruby off a leash they'll get suspicious, I have to stay here and take care of Aries, I'm trusting you to take care of her." Yang grabbed Verna's hand and forced the leash into before firmly tightening her grip while her eyes burned red. "Don't let me down okay?"

"I won't…" Verna's face took a serious tone as she secured the leash around her wrist and hand before clasping it onto Ruby's collar. "I'll keep her safe."

"We should leave, we have a long night ahead of us." Krystal's tail twitched back and forth and Ruby could smell her impatience and anxiety.

"Boof!" Ruby barked in agreement, more than eager to leave before being subjected to any more of her sister's teasing. Still, as the door opened and Thistle took the lead, the young she-wolf spared one more long glance back at the wolf she had saved.

Aries' ears were pointed straight up and his was raised from the soft couch cushion. He didn't want her to go, she could tell. His body language, his scent and his whines so soft no one else could hear them, they all begged Ruby to stay.

 _I want to… I do, but I have to help them. I promised I'd save you, and I will. Just wait, and listen to my sister._ As a wolf, she could communicate in more ways than a human could, including scents. She let her body exude an assuring, calming scent so subtle that it was barely there, but she knew he smelled her once his muscles relaxed. Her eyes flicked towards her sister for just a moment, and he left out a long sigh in acknowledgement.

In only a second, the two wolves shared a secret conversation. In a room full of people, even including her own sister, only another wolf could truly understand her.

With that sad thought weighing on her heart, Ruby was ushered out the door by Verna. Led by her leash, Ruby stepped outside into the cool autumn air, before the door closed behind her.


End file.
